Violent Crimes and Attacks on American Campuses Essay -- Criminal Just

In the last decade, concern has grown about the number of violent crimes and attacks taking place on American campuses. The increase in youth violent behavior in the United States is an insidious crisis of epidemic magnitude (Satcher, 2002). This statement demonstrates the increasing concern with youth aggression and violence. Of greater concern in recent years has been the violent and aggressive offenses seen among female students (Ness, 2004). Recently, school districts have been plagued by youth violence and aggression. For years, studies of aggressive behavior have focused on the explicit, offensive, physical aggressive behaviors displayed primarily in males (Jones, 2008). However, youth violence and aggression perpetrated by adolescent girls has been on the rise in recent years (Jones, 2008). These concerns have given rise to a new body of research focused on the aggressive nature of girls. Researchers suggest that girls who engage in aggression have many other social and academ ic problems. They also suggest that relational aggression is the equivalent to physical aggression, violence, and bullying (Chesney-Lind, Morash, Irwin, 2007). With the onset of many new rules and zero-tolerance programs, students are immediately taken out of the classroom for disruptive and inappropriate behavior (Adams, 2000). This causes students to lose valuable instructional time. In turn, aggressive behavior has been linked to subordinate academic outcomes, an increase in absenteeism, and lower graduation rates (Loveland, Lounsbury, Welsh, & Buboltz, 2007). Statement of the Problem Recent research has seen an increase in female aggressiveness (Jones, 2008). Much of the research on aggression has focused on relational aggression, a form of agg... ...in, Tobin, Sprague, Sugai, & Vincent, 2004). Suspensions: â€Å"A disciplinary sanction that requires the student to be excluded from the school building for a specified period of time† (Christle, Nelson, & Jolivette, 2004, p. 1). Expulsions: form of discipline that removes the student completely from the school system. Students have the opportunity to go through a hearing and have due process (Skiba & Sprague, 2008). Preparatory Academy: program designed to offer high school students who are overage for grade the opportunity to advance their studies in order to complete high school (Henry, 2008). E-school: program designed to allow students to meet the necessary requirements for high school by completing online courses after school (Henry, 2008). Zero-tolerance: policies that punish all offenses severely, no matter how minor the offense (Skiba & Peterson, 2000).