New York's highest court is being urged to overturn a ruling that could make colleges legally responsible for the conduct of everyone they admit. The case arose from the rape and murder of a female student at the State University of New York College at Buffalo in 1976. (MLW)

Computers are working to fight school crime and have proved useful for school officials and their security officers. Computers can spot growing crime activity through incident reports and operate burglar alarm systems. A system in the Boston (Massachusetts) schools gathers information, and computers in a Huntington Beach (California) district…

Discusses effects of crime, especially fear, on the elderly. Describes and evaluates a community-based prevention program of support and training for peers of victims of crime and violence. Concludes that using elderly persons as peer counselors can be an effective method of counseling. (Author/ABL)

Investigated the persuasive impact of a national crime prevention campaign in the context of past and contemporary media efforts. Found that the campaign had marked influence on citizens' cognitions, attitudes, and behaviors regarding crime prevention. (PD)

This report addresses issues concerning the electronic protection of library materials, i.e., effectiveness, cost, how they work, which is best. Discussion covers determination of need for electronic security, how current systems work, cost comparison for systems from three vendors (Checkpoint, Knogo, 3M), and future developments. Thirteen sources…

Presents results of the Library Crime Research Project, a three-year study of crime and disruption patterns in public libraries in all 50 states. Patterns of crime, costs of crime (direct, indirect), losses due to crime, patterns of security use, and effects of victimization are covered. Three references are listed. (EJS)

Examines statutory and legal remedies available to library administrators for the protection of their institutions, their employees, and their collections. Discussion covers law enforcement priorities and the library, museum, or archive and a comparison of state legislation concerning damage or failure to return library materials and library…

An Arizona high school's security program includes using teachers as security personnel for campus events, cooperating with juvenile probation officers, and assigning local police to daily patrol and night events. (MJL)

Block parent programs that provide homes where children can seek help in case of emergencies as they go to and from school are described. Programs in Phoenix (Arizona), Detroit (Michigan), and the states of Oregon and Kansas, emphasize cooperation with local law enforcement agencies. (PP)

It is increasingly obvious that prison school educators must work toward keeping the public informed with concrete evidence of the value of prison educational systems. As the public is made aware of and understands the benefits which the society can derive from correctional education programs, approval of and support for these programs should…

Discusses the dimensions of the arson problem in the United States and the failure of law enforcement by government agencies. Describes three forms of community response to arson in Boston: auxiliary organizations, vigilante groups, and popular justice organizations. (Author/JAC)

Explains what security officers do, how to hire and utilize them, and how they can help schools. (JM)

Suggests the use of scenario analysis in assessing some of the options offered as interventions to adolescent crime prevention, including child protection policies and guardianship, and parent licensing. Also explores the problem of racism and other social concerns in implementing some interventions. Finally, the influence of IQ on sociopathy is…

Colleges and universities may be held legally responsible for some of the crime occurring on their campuses. Campus decision makers should be familiar with the principles of liability being applied in courts, and take indicated steps to reduce risk of litigation. These steps will also help avoid unwanted, negative publicity about the institution,…

A British follow-up study of 25 convicted perpetrators of child abuse compared group and individual treatment outcomes. Results found some evidence for positive change in the group condition in terms of greater honesty in reporting normal and deviant sexual outlets, in addition to the improvement in attitudes toward women. (CR)