The Search for Social Justice in School-Based Crime and Delinquency Prevention

Schools continue to rely on restrictive security and punitive discipline in dealing with crime and delinquency despite evidence that these measures can negatively impact both students and schools. In addition, these measures are inequitably implemented across schools, with historically marginalized communities seeing greater use. I argue that attending to social justice in school-based crime and delinquency prevention should begin with an examination of strategies that are effective in reducing risk factors for crime and deviance. I describe those evidence-based strategies, show that they are inequitably implemented across schools, and discuss how equitable implementation can happen. The solution I argue for—equitable implementation—includes engagement of the schools’ community members, building trusting relationships, equitable decision-making, strong collaborative leadership, local adaptation, and reliance on data. I also discuss a particular framework that researchers and schools can use to achieve equitable implementation.