On June 29, 1993, a Senate Task Force on School Violence hearing was held at the California State capitol. The hearing examined the issues of violence on school campuses. Victims of campus crime, relatives of murdered students, administrators, law enforcers involved in campus safety, and students who themselves committed crimes in school spoke at…

This document provides guidelines for gang awareness and prevention in the California school system. It is based on the belief that inservice training programs help school staff recognize early signs of gang activity, a necessary step to intervention. Following the introduction, chapter 1 offers descriptive information on gangs and their members,…

This final report is designed to present a concise and practical overview of violence and vandalism with a particular emphasis on some of the factors underlying these problems and the various strategies that may be helpful in mitigating them. The report is intended primarily for the administrators, students, teachers, parents, and school staff…

Describes a study which examines the relationship between a rise in juvenile crime and the school term. Concludes that adolescents act out in the community the roles they acquire in schools. Journal available from Joan Watson, Distribution Secretary, The New Era, 54 Fontarabia Road, London, SWII 5PF. (KC)

In "Stephenson v. Davenport Community School District," the U.S. Eighth Circuit Court of Appeals ruled that schools cannot adopt unduly vague policies to regulate student expression, in this case, a cross-shaped tattoo. (LMI)

A Tucson principal learned that denial and traditional administrative strategies cannot mitigate evolving gang activity. He recommends that school leaders use respect; provide relevant programs; establish a zero-tolerance policy for weapons, drugs, and violence; create parent patrols; keep video records; regulate attire; welcome police; support…

This report presents findings of a study, conducted by the United States General Accounting Office (GAO), that investigated programs used by schools to curb violence. Specifically, the study examined four promising school-based violence-prevention programs. Data were obtained from: (1) interviews with violence-prevention program directors, federal…

The nature of youth gangs is explored, with suggestions for gang prevention and intervention. The emphasis is on organizing citizens, especially at the neighborhood level, to affect all community institutions. Suggestions are offered for citizens' groups to look at critical areas in schooling, incarceration, law enforcement, community programs,…

The first part of this book describes juvenile gangs in schools and provides information to help recognize gang presence. The second part focuses on effective interventions to deal with the gang problem. An introduction describes the history and current status of youth gangs in the United States to set the stage for the subsequent exploration of…

This record of the Senate Juvenile Justice Subcommittee hearing concerns the problem of violent juvenile crime. Opening statements by subcommittee members are followed by testimonies from three panels of witnesses. The first panel presents statements by the founder of the Guardian Angels, the director of the House of Umoga, a home for juvenile…

The Survey of School-Based Gang Prevention and Intervention Programs is a study of approaches used by schools to reduce or prevent gang involvement among schools. Principals in a probability sample of 1,287 schools were asked what they were doing in their schools to prevent problem behavior or to promote a safe and orderly school environment.…

Discusses unforeseen costs (including potential litigation expenses), benefits, and consequences of adopting security measures (such as metal detectors, drug dogs, security cameras, campus police, dress codes, crime watch programs, and communication devices) to counter on-campus violence and gang activity. High-tech gadgetry alone is insufficient.…

During the 1930s, a worldwide depression created a fear of communism and a "law-and-order" mentality. The 1990s, by contrast, are marked by a social void in which guilt is ascribed to no one. As recent TV commercials show, dispensing reasonable consequences in response to negative actions is viewed as socially backward. Too often,…

In "Raising Children in a Socially Toxic Environment," James Garbarino's nostalgic recollection of family, school, and neighborhood life in the 1950s becomes the utopian antecedent for a comparative bashing of contemporary times. Although racial stratification and social/economic marginality compromise 1990s families' child-raising…

School systems need to have a uniform reporting system of security incident data. Analysis of the data can help the district decide whether to (1) do nothing; (2) employ local police; (3) contract with a guard service; (4) hire security professionals; or (5) combine above options. (MLF)