NCJ Number
128474
Journal
School Safety Dated: (Winter 1991) Pages: 12-15
Date Published
1991
Length
4 pages
Annotation
Community service is an appropriate intermediate sanction for delinquent behavior in schools as it is more severe than after-school detention or in-school suspension and less severe than long-term suspension or expulsion.
Abstract
An intermediate, in-school sanction may provide for less reliance on suspension which many experts believe to be nonrehabilitative. Community service orders could be used as a sanction for relatively severe in-school crimes, such as assaults on students or teachers, selling or using drugs in the school building, extorting money from students, or major vandalism. School authorities could collaborate with the juvenile justice system in devising an appropriate community service order for such offenses. Community service as a disciplinary disposition in the school might consist of weekend supervised work within a school building, such as cleaning, polishing, or painting, or a similar service in the local community under the supervision of school employees. Such a sanction could deter recidivism and other students from similar misconduct. It also impresses upon student offenders that they have not just offended against school authorities, but also against community residents. 2 notes