Abstract

A dramatic transformation of school safety practices in American public schools has occurred during the last four decades. Scholars have argued that exaggerated fears and moral panics over youth violence, changing perceptions and responses to various risks in schools and society, and broader neoliberal political agendas expanded the criminalization and securitization of schools. This article considers the utility of divergent explanations for school securitization and criminalization (and recent decriminalization and medicalization efforts), suggests potential opportunities for theoretical integration, and reviews research on the relationship between school context (such as crime rates, racial composition, population density, and resources) and school safety practices. Based on this analysis of the social, political, and contextual drivers of school safety and security, implications for future research, practice, and policy are discussed.

Impact and Implications

The sustained securitization of schools is an outgrowth of multiple social and political forces. By examining the onset as well as the ebbs and flows of these forces, this article reveals particular contexts and historical moments when (openings for) alternatives to securitization emerge or prevail. When fears and punitive sentiments are lessened and notions of risk are reconceptualized or redirected, school helping professionals may find new opportunities to expand school-based mental health and evidence-based violence prevention approaches.

摘要

在过去的四年里，美国公立学校的学校安全实践发生了巨大的转变。学者们认为，对青年暴力的过度恐惧和道德恐慌，改变了对学校和社会各种风险的看法和反应，以及更广泛的新自由主义政治议程，扩大了学校的犯罪化和安全化。本文考虑了对学校证券化和刑事化（以及最近的去罪化和医疗化努力）的不同解释的效用，提出了理论整合的潜在机会，并回顾了关于学校环境（例如犯罪率、种族构成、人口密度、和资源）和学校安全实践。基于对社会、政治、

影响和意义

学校的持续证券化是多种社会和政治力量的产物。通过研究这些力量的开始以及潮起潮落，本文揭示了证券化替代方案出现或盛行时的特定背景和历史时刻。当恐惧和惩罚情绪减少并且风险概念被重新定义或重新定位时，学校帮助专业人员可能会找到新的机会来扩大基于学校的心理健康和基于证据的暴力预防方法。