NCJ Number
18731
Date Published
1970
Length
9 pages
Annotation
RESULTS OF NATIONWIDE SURVEY OF SMALL, MEDIUM, AND LARGE SCHOOL DISTRICTS, IN WHICH SCHOOLS WERE ASKED TO LIST TOTAL YEARLY VANDALISM COSTS, TYPES OF VANDALISM EXPERIENCED, AND TYPES OF PREVENTIVE MEASURES USED.
Abstract
THE ENROLLMENT CLASSIFICATIONS USED IN THIS SURVEY WERE FROM 6000 TO 11,999 STUDENTS; FROM 12,000 TO 25,000; AND OVER 25,000. SCHOOLS WERE ASKED TO RATE THE PERCENT AND COST OF VANDALISH IN THE FOLLOWING AREAS: GLASS BREAKAGE, EQUIPMENT THEFT, PROPERTY DESTRUCTION, AND FIRE DAMAGE. THE SURVEY PRODUCED 629 USABLE RETURNS. FIGURES FOR DAMAGE IN INDIVIDUAL CATEGORIES ARE BASED ON 581 RETURNS; 570 DISTRICT INDICATED PREVENTIVE MEASURES. FIRE DAMAGE ACCOUNTED FOR 37 PERCENT OF THE TOTAL COST OF VANDALISM. HOWEVER, GLASS BREAKAGE WAS FOUND TO BE THE MOST COMMON FORM OF VANDALISM. IT WAS FOUND THAT 94 PERCENT OF THE DISTRICT REPORTED GLASS BREAKAGE, 83 PERCENT REPORTED PROPERTY DESTRUCTION, 84 PERCENT HAD EQUIPMENT THEFT, AND 35.8 PERCENT HAD VANDALISM BY FIRE. LARGER DISTRICTS REPORTED SIGNIFICANTLY GREATER VANDALISM COSTS THAN SMALLER DISTRICTS. FOR PREVENTIVE MEASURES, 63.3 PERCENT USED PLASTIC WINDOW GLASSING, 50.7 PERCENT USED BURGLAR ALARMS, 47 PERCENT USED WATCHMEN, AND 13.5 PERCENT USED CENTRAL CONTROL SYSTEMS.