With the tragedies of school violence igniting calls for increased safety and security, one popular proposal is to use metal detectors in schools. To address questions about what impact such devices may have on day-to-day safety and on what happens during school violence events, this research brief summarizes what is known about metal detectors in…

Using data from the School Survey on Crime and Safety (SSOCS), this report presents findings both on crime and violence in U.S. public schools and on the practices and programs schools have implemented to promote school safety. SSOCS collects information from public school principals about the prevalence of violent and serious violent crimes…

School violence has become a focal point, sparked by violent mass killings throughout the nation. One of the most substantial efforts for improving school safety and security is the utilization of specially trained police, titled school resource officers (SROs). Regardless of the importance of maintaining safe schools and an environment that is…

This report presents findings on crime and violence in U.S. public schools, using data from the 2015-16 School Survey on Crime and Safety (SSOCS:2016). First administered in school year 1999-2000 and repeated in school years 2003-04, 2005-06, 2007-08, 2009-10, and 2015-16, SSOCS provides information on school crime-related topics from the…

The national Youth Risk Behavior Survey (YRBS) monitors priority health risk behaviors that contribute to the leading causes of death, disability, and social problems among youth and adults in the United States. The national YRBS is conducted every two years during the spring semester and provides data representative of 9th through 12th grade…

Background: This study integrated criminological and public health perspectives to examine the influence of bullying victimization and the school environment on physical activity (PA). Methods: We used a weighted sample of 7786 US middle school students surveyed as part of the Health Behavior in School-Aged Children study to conduct a multilevel…

The purpose of this study was to determine if differences in the frequency of school resource officer behaviors exist and if any differences in behaviors were related to differences in the frequency of incidents of school violence. This study collected information about tasks that SROs complete and compared that information to the frequency of…

"Indicators of School Crime and Safety: 2008" provides the most recent national indicators on school crime and safety. The information presented in this report is intended to serve as a reference for policymakers and practitioners so that they can develop effective programs and policies aimed at violence and school crime prevention. The…

This study examined campus crime and security at postsecondary institutions in the United States. It is based on an April 1996 survey of 1,303 less-than-2-year, 2-year, and 4-year postsecondary institutions in the Postsecondary Education Quick Information System panel that participate in Title IV financial aid programs. A total of 1,218…

This report summarizes results of two 1996 surveys of campus safety at public four-year institutions of higher education. Major findings included: (1) liquor law violations and burglary were the most common crimes, averaging 2.5 to 2.8 per 1,000 enrolled students; the incidence of violent crimes was much lower (.1 to .4 per 1,000 students); (2) 58…