schools and delinquency

Question 1

schools

Answer 1

• adolescents spend a considerable amount of their time each week in a school setting
• also, schools serve as a context that brings large numbers of adolescents together
• good location to survey or introduce delinquency prevention programs
• unsurprisingly, schools important in a wide range of ways

Question 2

positive side of school

Answer 2

• offer structured setting where youth are supervised by adults
• adolescents can form strong bonds to teachers/school that deter crime (the stronger the attachment to school the less delinquency)
• schools often offer goods and services that improve health and reduce delinquency
• not having a high school degree is one of the best predictors of adult offending and going to prison

Question 3

schools as contributing to delinquency

Answer 3

• conflicts can begin in school
• individuals exposed to older and deviant peers
• learn cultural values in school that can be conducive to crime

Question 4

bullying and victimization in school

Answer 4

bullying is a form of “school violence”
- most school-aged kids exposed to some form of bullying at some point
- individuals who are bullied are more likely to be involved in violence, more likely to carry a weapon, more like to use substances, and more likely to drop out of school

Question 5

criminalization of school

Answer 5

• broad adoption of school resources officers
• metal detectors, random searches, uniforms
• zero tolerance policies and involvement of JJ system
• what used to be handled informally by the school now reported to justice authorities

Question 6

school to prison pipeline

Answer 6

• process by which youth are funneled out of public schools and into the juvenile justice system
• result of zero tolerance strategy
• students who violate rules formally referred to the jj system
• often bypassing due process
• results in stigmatization or even formal records, juvenile detention
• disproportionality impacts minorities