School Crime and Violence Rise

· The number of teachers who say they've been physically attacked by students is the highest yet.

· More schools are beefing up security measures such as the use of security cameras and having security staff on campus than in previous years.

· During the 2010-11 school year – the most recent data available – there were 31 violent deaths – such as homicides and suicides involving students, staff members and others – on school campuses.

· Nonfatal incidents at school – such as theft and assault – appear to be on the rise.

· Overall, more students experienced incidents of theft and violence at school than away from school. The crime rate works out to about 52 incidents per 1,000 students at school.

The Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting occurred on December 14, 2012, in Newtown, Connecticut, when 20-year-old Adam Lanza fatally shot 20 children and 6 adult staff members.

Prior to driving to the school, Lanza shot and killed his mother at their Newtown home. As the police arrived at the scene, Lanza committed suicide by shooting himself in the head. The incident was the deadliest mass shooting at a high school in the USA.

The shooting prompted the debate about gun control in the United States. Some people assume everyone walks around with guns in America. Not true. However, there is a serious problem with selling illegal guns and certain types of semi-automatic firearms to the teens.

· The United States incarcerates more people than any other country in the world. Roughly one in every 107 American adults is behind bars.

· If we count the people who are just incarcerated, on probation or on parole, the number skyrockets to 6.9 million.

· Its prison population has more than tripled since 1980.

· America is very tough on crime policies. Over the last few decades the number of harsh policies have been passed. A lot of them have to do with longer sentences, others with so-called three-strikes lawwhich basically says that if you get in trouble three times you have to be imprisoned regardless of how petty these crimes were.

· The average sentence in the USA is 3 years that is three times longer than in Germany.

· Harsh drug laws are also part of the problem. White and black men use drugs at the same rate, but black men are almost 12 times more likely to go in prison for drug offences.

· Mental health also plays a role. About half of imprisoned people suffer mental health problems.

Date: 2016-04-22; view: 841