NCJ Number
195011
Date Published
September 2001
Length
5 pages
Annotation
This paper discusses violence in United States schools, with particular emphasis on suspensions and expulsions.
Abstract
Data compiled prior to 1999 showed that school shootings were exceedingly rare and were not on the increase. The paper claims that schools are one of the safest places for young people to be in America. However, there is a stark disconnect between public perceptions of youth crime, inside and outside of schools, and actual youth crime rates. While there was a 68 percent decline in homicides by youth in the years 1993-1999, 62 percent of Americans believed that youth crime was on the increase in 1999. News media coverage exaggerates youth crime, depicting young people as more criminally inclined than they actually are and as committing a larger overall portion of crime than they actually do. Despite stable rates of assaults in American schools over the last two decades, suspensions and expulsions are at record highs, adding to the growing body of research that calls into question the harsh application of "zero tolerance" policies. While the paper finds the benefits of increasing suspensions to be highly speculative, the implications for youth are clearly profound. Aside from the psychological impact of suspension for trivial acts, research is finding higher rates of dropping out and delinquency among suspended youth along with disturbing racial disparities in the use of suspension. Figure, table, notes