School Resource Officers' Presence and Preventative Roles and Criminalization of Student Behavior

• In Event: Discipline and Desegregation in Law and Policy

Abstract

A model investigating SROs’ preventative and typical law enforcement presence roles, limited mental health availability, and teacher training as predictors of nonviolent and serious violent incidents reported to police as well as school problem behavior was tested. Results revealed typical law enforcement presence of SROs was significantly predictive of higher levels of nonviolent and serious violent incidents and school problem behavior. SROs in a preventative role had no statistically significant influence on these outcomes. Mental health service availability was the only statistically significant predictor associated with lower levels of school problem behavior. Findings support that typical law enforcement SRO presence was associated with the criminalization of student behavior and that mental health service availability should be advanced.

Authors

• Tara Stevens, Texas Tech University

• Lucy Barnard-Brak, The University of Alabama

• Jesseca Jackson, Texas Tech University