Effective Social Control Measures in School and Community Programs: Implications for Policy and Practice

Juvenile gang activity and delinquency present problems for public school personnel in that they are often associated with truancy, school crime, and victimization. Many students resort to delinquency or gang activity as protective mechanisms and feel the need to carry weapons on campus. Thereby, these behaviors transform into self-defeating patterns that ultimately perpetuate the cycle of violence in schools and communities (Baker et al., 2001).