CITIZEN INVOLVEMENT IN EDUCATIONAL DECISION MAKING AS A DETERRENT TO SCHOOL CRIME AND DELINQUENCY (FROM THEORETICAL PERSPECTIVES ON POVERTY AND SCHOOL CRIME, V 2, 1978 - SEE NCJ-59837)

• NCJ Number: 59844
• Author(s): W T PINK; D E KAPEL
• Date Published: 1978
• Length: 32 pages
• Corporate Author: National Council on Crime and Delinquency
• Publication Format: Document
• Language: English
• Country: United States of America

Annotation

THIS PAPER CONTENDS THAT THE GOVERNANCE STRUCTURE OF SCHOOLS, GROUNDED IN THE ELECTIVE MODEL OF SCHOOL BOARD MEMBERSHIP IS A CONTRIBUTING FACTOR TO YOUTH CRIME AND DELINQUENCY.

Abstract

BECAUSE OF INCREASING MEDIA COVERAGE GIVEN TO THE NATURE AND EXTENT OF ACTS COMMITTED BY YOUTH, THE PUBLIC IS MORE AWARE THAT SCHOOL-RELATED CRIME AND JUVENILE DELINQUENCY POSE CONSIDERABLE PROBLEMS IN CONTEMPORARY SOCIETY. FROM RECENT LITERATURE ON SCHOOL CRIME, TWO LINES OF THOUGHT HAVE EMERGED THAT APPEAR TO HOLD PROMISE IN UNDERSTANDING THE PERSISTENT INVOLVEMENT OF YOUTH IN ANTISOCIAL BEHAVIOR: (1) THE VERY LOGIC AND STRUCTURE OF CONTEMPORARY SCHOOLING GENERATES STUDENT ALIENATION AND MISCONDUCT, AND (2) THE COMMUNITY MUST BECOME INCREASINGLY RESPONSIBLE FOR THE TREATMENT OF YOUTHFUL OFFENDERS. AN INNOVATIVE MODEL OF SCHOOL GOVERNANCE IS NEEDED THAT FACILITATES AND PROMOTES COMMUNITY INVOLVEMENT IN DECISIONMAKING. A MODEL BASED ON THE CONCEPT OF DECENTRALIZATION TO THE MOST MEANINGFUL UNIT, NAMELY THE SCHOOL BUILDING LEVEL, IS PROPOSED. PROBLEMS GENERATED IN AND BY SCHOOLS BECOME PROBLEMS OF BOTH SCHOOLS AND THE COMMUNITY, LEADING TO SUGGESTIONS INVOLVING JOINT EFFORTS TO REMEDY DEVIANT YOUTH BEHAVIOR. COMPONENTS OF THE MODEL ARE DETAILED AND ILLUSTRATED. FOOTNOTES AND REFERENCES ARE INCLUDED. (DEP)