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Abstract
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VioLit summary:
OBJECTIVE:
The goal of this article by Stover was to present a current profile of gangs in the U.S. and to discuss the problems gangs create in schools. Specific recommendations were given for school boards to handle students with gang affiliations before the situations become school crises.
METHODOLOGY:
A non-experimental evaluation of schools and antigang community groups in various regions of the U.S. was employed. The research was based on anecdotal evidence and personal information.
FINDINGS/DISCUSSION:
The article stated that youth gangs are becoming increasingly violent, more involved in drugs and criminal activities, and are moving into the suburbs and smaller urban areas. It was argued that gangs serve to fill a void in the youths' lives and that gangs provide status, acceptance, and protection. It was found that street gang issues spill over into the schools and that school boards need to take an active role in fighting gang activity. The author felt that the greatest burden falls on individual principals and they must develop strategies to establish schools as neutral ground. However, it was discussed that school administrators and school security must work with community antigang groups in order for the efforts to be successful in the schools. A community-wide approach, with alternatives for students, such as recreational opportunities, was presented as having the greatest effect on the gang activities in schools. Finally, it was argued that despite the spread of gangs, the school boards can stay on top of the problem by tackling it, and not denying its existence, and by working with communities on cooperative antigang programs.
AUTHOR'S RECOMMENDATIONS:
Seven concrete suggestions were given to stifle gang activity in schools. These included banishing all gang related items (hats, scarves, jewelry), painting over graffiti immediately, letting students know they are being watched (large supervision presence), learning about the gangs and their rivalries in order to intervene with preventive mediation, train staff members about gangs (police sessions with teachers), transfer rivals to different schools to prevent an accumulation of any one gang at a school and deter turf wars, and use creative disciplinary methods. The author also recommended that schools work with community groups in their antigang efforts and that school boards should elect strong leadership in the schools.
(CSPV Abstract - Copyright © 1992-2007 by the Center for the Study and Prevention of Violence, Institute of Behavioral Science, Regents of the University of Colorado)
Gang Violence
Gang Effects
Juvenile Gang
Juvenile Violence
Violence Prevention
Juvenile Offender
Student Violence
Violence Intervention
School Violence
School Security
School Gang Activity
03-05 |