The National Center for Educational Statistics 1998 Report stated that one in ten schools in their sample reported at least one violent crime over the past year. To promote school safety, educators have used traditional law enforcement methods that rely heavily on surveillance, penalties, and punishment. These methods applied to schools can be…

The Crime Prevention through Environmental Design (CPTED) concept suggests that natural surveillance, natural access control, and territoriality can be effectively applied to schools and surrounding environments to provide safety for students and teachers. This document presents the essential concepts of the CPTED and examines how the main office…

Barriers to evaluation of prevention programs arise from (1) attitudes that people have about such programs; (2) conceptual difficulties (lack of theory, difficulty in choosing criteria of success, lack of control over implementation strategies); and (3) methodological difficulties (monitoring program integrity over time, measuring program…

Presents four key steps in planning for school security and creating a safe, secure environment for students: deterring the possibility of crime; detecting when something potentially troublesome has occurred; delaying criminals in order to give law enforcement officials the additional time needed to catch them; and recovering and continuing the…

Presents a road map for colleges and universities to follow when establishing an in-house protective services department, focusing on: the leadership and command structure, screening and hiring of security officers, training of campus security personnel, documentation of officers' actions, policies and procedures (particularly regarding the use of…

Seventy-two prison inmates incarcerated for child sexual abuse were surveyed for their attitudes about the effectiveness of a variety of topics in school-based programs intended to help children protect themselves from abuse. Incestuous and nonincestuous abusers' responses were compared. Results are analyzed. (MSE)

Demonstrated long-range effectiveness of SAY IT STRAIGHT training as a school-based program for the prevention of destructive behaviors by comparing juvenile police offenders among trained and untrained ninth through twelfth graders (N=357) for 18 months following training. Found untrained students had more criminal offenses than did trained…

Describes how a school cafeteria employee stole money from a cash register, how it was discovered, and the measures taken to prevent future theft. (MLF)

Examines five legal questions concerning the Internet: constitutional protection in cyberspace from defamatory speech, evasion of laws, accountability for offensive expression, pornography, and digital theft. A sidebar discusses the employment of user-rated Internet sites and software to scan and filter offensive material. (JMV)

Problems and illustrations are presented from a meta-analysis of crime reduction programs. Eight criteria are specified for including studies in a meta-analysis, and some problematic studies are discussed using the criteria. Rules for handling problem studies in order to retain consistency throughout the analysis are discussed. (SLD)

The relationship of 18 parolee characteristics to outcome of parole was investigated (N=254). Three variables predicted likelihood of parole violation: length of sentence; parole officer's assessment of risk; and previous parole (negative relationship). This study is discussed within labeling theory and its model of deviant career development.…

Describes one high school's use of video cameras as a preventive tool in stemming theft and violent episodes within schools. The top 10 design tips for preventing crime on campus are highlighted. (GR)

Discusses how schools can reduce the occurances of physical injury, vandalism, and break-ins by properly lighting school areas. Several examples of lighting strategies are highlighted, including determining proper illumination levels for specific areas. (GR)

Provides administrative advice on how some safety experts have made college campuses safer and friendlier without breaking the budget. Tips on security and advice on safety management that encompasses the whole environment are highlighted. (GR)

Presents expert advice on keeping violations of school trespassing from escalating into worse violations of school safety. Discusses the use of trespass-warning statements, identifying areas of danger, and whether police officers in schools are the solution. (GR)