NCJ Number
113979
Date Published
1988
Length
18 pages
Annotation
The Director of NIJ explains the NIJ research on crime and disruption in public schools and its implication for school policies and programs.
Abstract
In 1981 the Attorney General's Task Force on Violent Crime reported on several national problems including the nature and extent of crime in schools. Subsequently, two other national commissions have expressed concern. In 1984 NIJ and the United States Department of Education agreed to test new approaches in a wide range of school settings. The research found that a small percentage of students were involved in a large percentage of the disruptive incidents and that only 6 percent of disruptive incidents were truly criminal. Current research is focusing on the needs of child victims, the role of the guardian ad litem, and the use of problem-oriented policing. NIJ has also developed a program called Safer Schools-Better Students to enable educators to reduce crime and disciplinary incidents in public schools. The program provides analytical methods and planning approaches that allow a fresh look at old problems. The program brings together school, community agencies, and law enforcers to use specific techniques to work cooperatively to solve the underlying problems that prompt the disruptive incidents. The program is already achieving success in school districts using it.