Policing the School: Dialogues and Crime Reports

Regarding criminality and subversive behaviour, young people are seen both as a risk group and as a security risk. Consequently, there is a need to investigate categorizations and definitions of young people ‘at risk’. This chapter is based on a study designed as two interlinked case studies. The cases consist of principals and school health teams working closely with young students in the school, on the one hand, and hand police officers, on the other. The purpose of this design is to allow us to discuss and analyse different professional views and attitudes regarding school violence. The results indicate that both school officials and the police have problems making a clear distinction between the offender and the victim. However, they also show a difference in how school professionals and police officers approach this diffuseness. Whereas the school professionals tend to work relationally and try to solve conflicts and violence through dialogue and interaction, the police officers primarily see their role as identifying perpetrators and crimes. Furthermore, the results reveal that both professional groups put more focus on policing segregated areas. The police put segregated areas under surveillance, targeting young people and defining them as potential suspects. The teachers in segregated areas also tend to use a more juridical approach to school violence, especially compared to teachers in more affluent middle-class areas

Teen Dating Violence and Stalking

Teen dating violence (TDV) is a serious form of intimate partner violence (IPV) that occurs between two young people in a close relationship. TDV can include physical, sexual, psychological, or emotional aggression, as well as stalking. Aggression can take place online as well as in person. This chapter first provides a definition of TDV and discusses the prevalence of different types of TDV as well as stalking. It offers an overview of current research, risk factors, and consequences of these forms of youth violence at multiple levels of the social ecology. Particular attention is paid to the unique characteristics of TDV that distinguish it from IPV among adults. Current intervention strategies are then discussed, drawing on national reports and representative studies demonstrating both effective and ineffective strategies for reducing TDV and stalking. The chapter concludes with a summary and recommendations from researchers to inform future research, prevention efforts, and intervention methods for decreasing TDV and stalking