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An evaluation of police officers in schools as a bullying intervention

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  • Devlin, Deanna N.
  • Santos, Mateus Rennó
  • Gottfredson, Denise C.

Abstract

Despite existing efforts to prevent bullying, research suggests that bullying remains a serious and common problem across the United States. Therefore, researchers should continuously propose and evaluate alternative policies that may mitigate bullying as a social issue. One such strategy that has been proposed is the use of police officers in schools, best known as School Resource Officers (SROs). The current study evaluated the efficacy of SROs as an intervention against bullying in schools in the United States. Using a longitudinal sample consisting of three years of data from the School Survey on Crime and Safety (n = 480), schools that initiated, discontinued, and continued their use of SROs from one time point to another were compared to a control group of schools. The findings indicate that SROs do not have an effect on bullying in schools. Policy implications of these findings suggest that programs that focus on components such as teaching social and emotional competency skills, improving relationships between students and adults, and creating a positive school environment may be more effective in reducing bullying than a security procedure such as the use of SROs. Alternative programs should be explored to mitigate bullying and improve the well-being of students.

Suggested Citation

  • Devlin, Deanna N. & Santos, Mateus Rennó & Gottfredson, Denise C., 2018. "An evaluation of police officers in schools as a bullying intervention," Evaluation and Program Planning, Elsevier, vol. 71(C), pages 12-21.
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:epplan:v:71:y:2018:i:c:p:12-21
    DOI: 10.1016/j.evalprogplan.2018.07.004
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Brown, Ben, 2006. "Understanding and assessing school police officers: A conceptual and methodological comment," Journal of Criminal Justice, Elsevier, vol. 34(6), pages 591-604.
    2. Johnson, Ida M., 1999. "School violence: The effectiveness of a school resource officer program in a southern city," Journal of Criminal Justice, Elsevier, vol. 27(2), pages 173-192, March.
    3. Nagin, Daniel & Waldfogel, Joel, 1995. "The effects of criminality and conviction on the labor market status of young British offenders," International Review of Law and Economics, Elsevier, vol. 15(1), pages 109-126, January.
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    Cited by:

    1. Paez, G.R., 2020. "School safety agents’ identification of adolescent bullying," Children and Youth Services Review, Elsevier, vol. 113(C).

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