School Crime and Juvenile Justice, Second Edition, examines the nature, extent, and causes of school crime and disruptive behavior, offering a comprehensive overview of this significant and growing problem. Drawing on numerous sources and on studies conducted over the past ten years, the second edition reviews the most up-to-date theories on the relationship between school crime and crime in the community, the role of parents and peers, and schools' organization and policies. Lawrence discusses current research findings, laws and school policies, prevention strategies, and alternative schools and special education programs for at-risk and delinquent students. Extensively revised and updated, this edition includes two new chapters: Chapter 6 examines the school environment and how school size, structure, and related factors affect school crime and safety, while Chapter 7 discusses recent research on identifying which students may be at risk of committing school violence. Chapters on the causes of juvenile delinquency and the role of police, courts, and corrections in the administration of juvenile justice have been expanded and updated to reflect the latest available research and resources. Ideal for criminal justice courses and an indispensable resource for scholars and school administrators, School Crime and Juvenile Justice, Second Edition, takes a closer look at the problem of crime and violence in and around schools. It offers a clear understanding of how people can work together to create safer schools and how educators and juvenile justice officials can develop cooperative delinquency prevention programs.

Preface

Acknowledgments

 

1. Juvenile Crime in Society and in Schools

Public Views of Juvenile Crime

Some Historical Perspective Measures of Crime

Police Measures of Juvenile Crime

Juvenile Court Cases Self-Report Measures

Victimization Surveys

Measuring School Crime

Measures of School Crime and Safety Victimization Reports

The Effects of School Crime and Violence

International Measures of School Crime and Violence

 

2. Justice for Juveniles

Historical Overview of Juvenile Justice

Juvenile Justice in America

The "Child Savers" Movement

The First Juvenile Court

Comparison of Juvenile and Criminal Court Legal and Procedural Distinctions: Juvenile vs. Criminal Justice Challenges and Changes in Juvenile Justice

U.S. Supreme Court Decisions

Federal and State Legislative Changes

Current Juvenile Justice Trends and Reforms

 

3. Explaining Delinquency and School Crime

Why study theories of crime and delinquency?

Types of Crime Theories Individual Explanations

Psychological Explanations of Delinquency

Social Structure Theory

Social Process

Explanations Developmental and Life-course Theories

General and Integrated Theories

Social Reaction Theories: Labelling and Conflict

Conflict Theory

Female Delinquency

Applying Theories to School Crime and Justice

 

4. Families, Peers, Gangs and Delinquency

The Family Changes in Family and Parental Roles

The Family and Delinquency

Do Parents Cause Delinquency?

Child Abuse and Neglect

Parents, School Problems and Delinquency

Gangs and Delinquency

Drugs and Delinquency

 

5. Dropout and Delinquency

Perspectives on Truancy and Dropout

Defining and Measuring Dropout

The Extent of Absenteeism and Dropout

Factors Associated with Dropping Out

Consequences of Dropping Out

Truancy, Dropout, and Delinquency Policy

Implications of Delinquency and Dropout

Truancy and Dropout Prevention Programs

 

6. School Environment and School Safety

School Crime: Community Problem or School Problem?

The Public Schools as a Source of Delinquency

School Tracking and Delinquency

School Funding and Educational Inequality

School Reform and At-Risk Students

School Programs and Teaching Strategies

The Role of Parents in School Achievement

Do Schools Cause Failure--and Delinquency?

School Climate and Disorder Policy

Implications for School Crime Prevention

 

7. Explaining and Predicting School Violence

Identifying Youth at Risk of School Violence

Criminal Profiling "Warning signs"

Threat Assessment

The Reliability and Validity of "Profiles" and "Warning Signs"

A Theory of School Shootings Preventing School Violence

 

8. School Law and Students' Rights

Students' Rights in School

School Records and Privacy

Freedom of Speech and Expression

Constitutional Due Process

Suspension and Expulsion

Corporal Punishment

Search and Seizure

Rulings on Types of School Searches

The Exclusionary Rule and School Searches

Safe Schools: Required by Law?

 

9. The Police and Juvenile Crime

Police Roles and Responsibilities

Police Officers in Schools

Police and Juvenile Offenders

Police Decisions and Use of Discretion

Police Diversion and Status Offenders

Alternatives to Police

Arrest and Custody

Police and Juveniles' Legal Rights

Are SRO's School Officials or Police Officials?

Fingerprinting, Photographing, and Records

 

10. The Juvenile Court

History and Development of the Juvenile Court

Juvenile Transfers to Adult Court

Are Juveniles Different from Adults?

Do Juvenile Transfers Make a Difference?

Current Juvenile Court Trends and Reforms

 

11. Juvenile Corrections

Residential Programs and Institutional Corrections

History and Development of Juvenile Corrections

Correctional Institutions for Juveniles

Other Community Programs

Disproportionate Minority Confinement

From Deinstitutionalization to "Get-Tough" Policies

Juvenile Probation and Community Corrections

Intermediate Sanctions in Juvenile Corrections

Re-examining Community Corrections Models

Effectiveness of Juvenile Corrections

Juvenile Corrections and Schools

 

12. School-Based Delinquency Prevention

Crime Control vs. Crime Prevention

Defining Crime Prevention

Theoretical Bases for School-Based Delinquency Prevention

Some Directions for School Crime Prevention

School Structure and Climate

Classroom Management and Instruction

Conflict Management and Resolution

Alternative Schools

Vocational and Employment Programs

Federal Government Role in Delinquency Prevention

School-Based Prevention: Some Model Programs

Recommendations for Educators, Justice Officials, and Policymakers

 

References

Author Index

Subject Index

Richard Lawrence – Professor of Criminal Justice, St. Cloud State University