Crime Prevention Program - School Violence Prevention Act - Essay Example

The tragic events of school shootings are ones that will never be forgotten. We were all horrified when we heard that many people died at the hands of a "child's" bullet. Juveniles killing juveniles - it's something that causes us to ask questions. Why What's happening to our children and society The statistics are telling. (Hopkins, 2008) According to the U.S. Department of Education, 10 percent of all public schools experienced one or more serious violent crimes that were reported to police or other law enforcement officials during the 1996-97 school year. (Hopkins, 2008) Forty-seven percent of elementary schools reported one or more violent incidents compared with 74 percent for middle schools and 77 percent of high schools. The Pennsylvania Center for Safe Schools reports that nearly 2,000 Pennsylvania juveniles were arrested for weapons possession and 10 percent reported carrying a weapon in school or on a school bus at least once in the past year. (Walker 1995) Between 1988 and 1994 the rate of violent crime arrests for Pennsylvania juveniles rose by 69 percent. There are more statistics to show that school violence is on the rise. As a result of the obviously rising trends, the majority policy committee this summer launched a series of statewide hearings to examine the issue of school violence. Many different law enforcement experts, physicians, mental health providers, social service workers, teachers, school administrators, parents, concerned citizens and government officials testified to help determine the causes and possible solutions to school violence. The causes - whether the increases in single-parent families, increased violence on television, desensitization to violence by the media, or a decline in morals - can be debated over and over. Attention is now focused on how to stop these trends now and make inroads to our young children before it is too late. The General Assembly is starting to offer solutions and remedies. Several members of the House and Senate have announced introduction of legislation aimed at punishing the offender. Pennsylvania already has some of the nation's toughest statutes relating to juvenile crime, many enacted during Gov. Tom Ridge's previous special session on crime. Government is now looking into ways to strengthen and expand upon these. Too many proposals have been introduced which simply address the punishment of a child after a crime has occurred. My bills would attempt to stop the violent acts from ever occurring in the first place. THE MANDATORY SCHOOL VIOLENCE REPORTING ACT The first piece of legislation introduced is entitled the "Mandatory School Violence Reporting Act." This measure would allow schools and law enforcement officials to more easily distinguish those children most likely to commit violent acts before one occurs. Under this legislation, each principal, dean or other person who acts as the chief operating or executive officer of a public, private, parochial, vocational, or charter school, college or university shall make an incident report to law enforcement authorities concerning all incidents of a crime of violence which occur on the property or ground of the school, college or university. The incident report would include such information as the names, addresses and telephone numbers of the victim or victims, the accused and any witnesses. The names, addresses and telephone numbers of the parents or guardians of any minors involved as a victim, accused or witness to the incident also will be included in the report. Other information to be included would be a full description of the incident, what, if any, weapons were used or threatened to be used, a description of any injuries, and indication of whether law enforcement was contacted, and whether or not an arrest was made. The report would be filed with the local law enforcement agency and a copy would be provided to the Pennsylvania State Police for their use in compiling a detailed statewide report of school violence. This bill does not presume to end school violence. It will, however, set up an early warning mechanism to help classify the types of incidents most frequently occurring in our schools and to help profile the perpetrators. With the availability of such information, early intervention such as counseling or targeted mental health services may be sought for such students before their disruptive behavior patterns escalate to more critical acts of violence. Through the Mandatory School Violence Reporting Act, law enforcement officers, school officials and parents can more easily identify those children who may most need assistance. Early identification and intervention are key to preventing future school violence. SCHOOL VIOLENCE PREVENTION ACT Another piece of legislation proposed would establish the "School Violence Prevention Act," requiring all 501 school districts to develop a Comprehensive School Violence Prevention Plan. Under the provisions of this legislation, all school districts would have to develop comprehensive and coordinated school violence prevention plans relevant to the specific needs of the district and drawing on existing state and community resources. (Rusbie, 2000) The goal of the legislation is to create a safe school environment while ensuring that appropriate procedures are in place to deal with whatever crisis situations may occur. The district's plans would be developed in schools by a broad-based Violence Prevention Task Force assuring collaboration among law enforcement agencies; the courts; educators; parents; students; social service and health care providers; and other youth-serving professionals from the local community. (Rusbie, 2000) It would be based on an assessment of the current needs and resources of the school district in the areas of violence prevention and intervention, including an analysis of the types and frequency of crimes and incidents of violence currently occurring on school property or at school-sponsored activities, and a review of available community based resources to address family and youth-related issues. In essence, school districts would be implementing a multi-disciplinary(unifying all facets and concerned groups) approach to school violence. The plan would include: procedures for assuring compliance with existing laws; a code of student conduct; procedures to insure cooperation between schools and local law enforcement agencies; and a comprehensive school crisis plan which would outline policies and procedures for handling critical situations. The school crisis plan would contain prevention guidelines; procedures for early assessment of potential problems; guidelines for steps to be taken, and avoided, in specific crises; identification of available resources to support staff, students, families and others after a situation occurs; and mechanisms to keep the plan updated. Solving school violence cannot be entirely accomplished by government alone ... it will require collaborative efforts by all those who care about Pennsylvania's children and their safety.(Williams, 2008) The legislation appreciates that while we need to be firm and punish perpetrators to the fullest extent of the law; we must take steps to prevent violent incidents from ever occurring. (Harrisburg 2008) We must give school districts additional tools which will empower them to better address the growing trend of school violence. By providing for the creation of locally-developed prevention and intervention strategies and assuring that each district has in place a solid crisis plan, we can take a major step toward creating a safer learning environment for Pennsylvania's children. (Williams, 2004)Unfortunately, national incidents occurring last spring in small communities like Jonesboro, Ark. and Edinboro, Pa., have starkly illustrated that no community is immune from school violence; and that too many of our schools are no longer safe havens where children are immune from becoming innocent victims. (Harrisburg, 2008) Since its launch in February 2000, the Project PEACE violence reduction plan has been adopted by more than 160 Pennsylvania schools, including a district-wide program in the School District of Philadelphia. Project PEACE brings together teams of teachers, school administrators, counselors, parentsand attorneys to help children develop skills to reduce conflicts. This peer mediation process encourages children to change their behavior and work with each other to resolve their differences peacefully. Removing the climate of fear and conflict can allow schools to refocus on their primary mission of teaching our next generation of citizens. (Harrisburg, 2008) The Vision The Goals of the Project PEACE Training Conference: Promote understanding of conflict resolution as a life skill Develop awareness of and experience with various skills of mediation Compare and contrast mediation with the consequences of violence Provide opportunities to network with attorneys and mediation professionals Familiarity with the Community Board Elementary School Conflict Resolution curriculum Create a school-based plan to establish a peer- mediation programs across the state CONCLUSION As noted above, crime in schools is reaching epidemic proportions. Attention, in Pennsylvania, is now focused on how to stop these trends now and make inroads to young children before it is too late. The statutes above address this mission in a feasible and impressive manner REFERENCES Education and Outreach Pennsylvania Office of Attorney General, Harrisburg, PA 17120 education@attorneygeneral.gov. Date Accessed: October 18, 2008. Gary Hopkins "School violence". Vibrant Life.FindArticles.com. 20 Oct. 2008. http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m0826/is_5_16/ai_65130417. Williams, Walter; School Violence Toleration; October 13, 2004, Capitalism Magazine. Walker, Hill M.; Antisocial Behavior in School: Strategies and Best Practices, Brooks/Cole Publishing Co., Pacific Grove, CA 1995 Rusbie, Julie C.,Psychology in the Schools; 2000 Volume 44 Issue 4, Pages 333 - 350. Date Accessed: October 17, 2008. Read More