As the school year ends and wraps up, and the long school holiday begins, it’s worth taking a moment to look at the role(s) schools play concerning crime and violence prevention and reduction. We can be forgiven for thinking/believing that schools are unsafe places, especially after a school shooting, where the 24x7 news cycle constantly reminds us of this particular type of tragedy. However, when we look at the statistics for such events, they are actually extremely rare. In 2023, there were 349 recorded incidents of a weapon being brandished in a school; this doesn’t necessarily mean that it was actually fired. This number doesn’t include weapons that were discovered or found but incidents where a weapon was pulled in a threatening fashion. Whilst this at first may seem like an alarming number i.e., almost two events every day (most school years in the US contain somewhere between 175 and 180 days), when it’s considered that there are approximately 130 000 schools in the US, this in fact a pretty small number. This means statistically – on average – that an individual school would experience a gun being brandished and/or fired once every 6000 years. This is not to say that weapons in schools are not a problem, but rather to recognize that when compared to other types of institutions schools are statistically some of the safest places on the planet.

Numerous studies (Bennett et al., 2018, Rocque et al., 2017 etc.) have consistently shown that by reducing truancy local crime rates are reduced. This occurs for several reasons. When students skip school, they usually have unstructured and unsupervised time during the day, which increases the chances of engaging in criminal activity such as shoplifting, vandalism, and/or drug use. By keeping students in school such opportunities to offend are reduced. Teachers effectively act as what criminologist John Eck, would refer to as “handlers” i.e., individuals who manage and influence, potential offenders. When a parent (another handler) passes the job/role of looking after their child to teachers, they are ensuring that their child’s time is controlled/managed. If a child manages to bypass this process, then they themselves become responsible for what they do, which could involve committing various offenses. Chronic truants often lack a consistent handler due to neglect, poor family dynamics, or absentee guardianship. Truancy is also often a gateway behavior leading to dropping out of school. Dropping out increases the risk of long-term economic marginalization and involvement in crime. Research consistently shows that school dropouts are more likely to be arrested and incarcerated than peers who complete school. A recent U.S. DOJ (Department of Justice) study found that those with a history of truancy were nearly twice as likely to be arrested later in adolescence as non-truant youth. 

Many juvenile offenses are committed in groups rather than alone. By reducing truancy, schools reduce the congregation of potentially at-risk youth outside of structured settings. This cuts off networks that may facilitate group offending. Young people engaging in truancy are likely to find others engaged in the same activity e.g., a teenager noticing another teenager in a public space when they should be at school is going to recognize and understand that they are engaged in the same behavior as themselves. Whilst school may seem “boring” to many, not having anything to do is also extremely boring. This can lead to the formation of groups looking for excitement, that may be found through shoplifting, vandalism and/or drug/alcohol abuse etc. Locales which have strong targeted truancy programs (e.g., Truancy Reduction Demonstration Programs) reduce the number of individuals out on the streets who can form such groups, and in doing so reduce crime. One of the issues that many cities see is an uptake in juvenile crime rates during the school summer holidays which give young people the opportunity and time to congregate together. When this is coupled with boredom (not every teenager gets to attend camps, go on holidays or has an X-Box to play with etc.) it can create a perfect storm. In response to a number of violent incidents over the summer months involving young people, the city of Boston in 2024 piloted "Boston After Dark" a Friday evening youth programming that ran from June to August which provided structured activities in order to reduce unsupervised roaming and congregating.

Schools also work to promote “Pro Social Bonds”. According to Hirschi’s Social Bond Theory (1969), individuals are less likely to commit crimes when they have strong social bonds to/with society. Hirschi identified four key elements that form these bonds: attachment, commitment, involvement, and belief. When these bonds are strong, they constrain deviant behavior; when they weaken, the risk of delinquency increases. Teachers who show interest in their students' well-being help to foster attachment, whilst positive relationships with other students help to build emotional ties that encourage conformity. If a student can see their school as a gateway to their future success, they are less likely to engage in delinquent activities that could derail this. This helps them to commit to societal norms and rules i.e. conform. Simply being at school i.e., involved, takes away time to engage risky behaviors, especially in unsupervised settings. Schools also promote the idea of social norms and laws as being morally valid, which helps create a belief in them. When individuals believe in the legitimacy of the rules, they are less likely to break them. Hirschi’s theory suggests that crime is not just about motivation and gain but also about restraint. People don’t offend simply because they want to, but because there is not an effective value/belief system that holds them back from doing so. Schools, when functioning well, are important and critical institutions of restraint. When these bonds are weakened, through chronic absenteeism/truancy, academic failure, alienation, and/or school exclusion the risk of criminal involvement increases.

When an institution simply goes about its business without incident it is rarely celebrated, however when something bad happens at it, such as a school shooting etc., then people can be all too ready to point a finger at its failings and criticize it. Whilst no school is perfect, the roles that they play in preventing and reducing offending in our communities should be acknowledged.