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The violent adolescent: Profiles of youngsters apprehended with weapons on school property
Abstract
The present study was designed to examine the issues which surround young people who are apprehended on or around Boston Public School property carrying weapons or dangerous objects. The records of 40 students were randomly selected, according to specific criteria, from the files at the Barron Assessment and Counseling Center. The BACC was designed to be a disciplinary measure. The main goal of the program is to help the youngsters understand the ramifications of their actions. Specifically, the hypotheses which guided the study were designed to determine: (1) if the students apprehended were conduct-disordered; (2) if the students were responding to cultural and environmental norms; (3) their socio-economic status; (4) if the students were substance abusers; (5) their academic status; (6) the precipitating actions which caused apprehension; (7) if the students were involved in the criminal justice system; and (8) the recidivism rate of this population. A summary of the research findings indicated that this cross section of youngsters were more behavior-disordered than was hypothesized. In fact, 37% of the youngsters in the sample exhibited moderate to severe conduct disorders and one-third had been adjudicated or were waiting judgement in some aspect of the criminal justice system. A majority of the sample resided in neighborhoods with high-crime rates and were products of single-parent homes with multiple siblings. Most of their families were subsidized by Public Assistance. Eighty percent of the sample were black males and the median age was 15.4, while the median grade level was 8.8. It could not be concluded from self-report data what percent of the youngsters abused drugs. Only 8% of the sample were caught using a weapon in a fight. The intelligence classification of the sample cluster was in the average range (80%); however, the sample as a whole was underachieving by approximately two years below grade level. The students were judged to be deficient in critical thinking skills based on other findings which were not anticipated.
Subject Area
Educational psychology|Social structure|School counseling
Recommended Citation
Baugh, L. Lauretta, "The violent adolescent: Profiles of youngsters apprehended with weapons on school property" (1991). Doctoral Dissertations Available from Proquest. AAI9120851.
https://scholarworks.umass.edu/dissertations/AAI9120851