Physical and Legalistic Mechanisms and Violent Crimes in Public Schools

• In Event: Poster Session

Abstract

As there have been increasing concerns about school violence, many schools have adopted/implemented a type of school safety strategy at schools. Before the current study, there was little empirical research focusing on the effects of physical and legalistic security measures on violent crimes in public schools. To fill the gap in the literature, the current study examined the relationships between two main mechanisms of school safety (physical and legalistic) and violent crimes in K-12 public schools using the 2018 School Survey on Crime and Safety (SSOCS) data. The finding showed the relationships between some predictors (locked doors, closed campus during lunch, random sweeps, full-time security personnel, etc.) and school violence. Potential implications for physical and legalistic security measures on school violence are discussed.

Authors

• Chunghyeon Seo, University of Central Oklahoma

• Selye Lee, Arkansas State University

• Emilie Stufflebeam, University of Central Oklahoma