Violence in Our Schools

Can Violence in Our School Be Reduced The problem we are facing today with violence in our schools is a major concern with communities all over the world. School violence wears many faces. It can be gang activity, locker thefts, bully and intimidation, gun use, or anything that products a victim. Violence is perpetrated against students, teachers, and staff and ranges from intentional vengeance to accidental killings and bystanders. Can violence in our schools be reduced? If so what do we need to do to reduce it? Is the lack of discipline in our schools to blame for the rise in violence? Are the movies, TV, and video games to blame for the violence in our schools? These are some of the questions that our peers, parents, and teachers are seeking answers. There have been a few different techniques discussed that have shown to reduce violence in our schools. Given the resources I have found I believe that school violence can be reduced and is a problem that must not go unnoticed. The first approach that helps reduce violence in our schools is called target hardening. Target hardening is the use of metal detectors, surveillance cameras, locks, and bars. Target hardening is a very popular approach used in many schools today because it uses technology to secure the school and thus makes it difficult for weapons to be brought into the school. This approach uses lessons learned from airport security. “If properly deployed, their methods will virtually ensure the detection of most weapons and prevent trouble before it occurs” (Kenney and Watson 4). Nonetheless, there are many critics of the target hardening approach that believe this type of approach may cause more issues. “Speculation on whether such an apprehensive security environment might worsen relations and harm the educational process” (Kenney and Watson 4). “Critics of this approach contend that while implementation of such methods may be helpful, reliance on this approach alone may be