Abstract
It is important to study legal issues so as to encourage people to do what is right and to get rid of all criminal behaviours within our society. From the research done on criminal activities, it indicates that the number of crimes committed by the youths within the society has been on the increase. It is hence necessary to know some of the factors that having been making them to get engaged in such criminal activities especially in the institutions of learning. This paper describes why these school shootings occur and how we they can be sufficiently stopped.
Introduction
In the United States today, there are very many school shootings occurring, and this has developed as a kind of trend over the past years. This shows that there has been continued increase of violent behaviours that many school youths have tried to develop. It is necessary to explain in details why these school shootings occur and how such kind of behaviour can be dealt with. For instance, the Secret Service in the United States has been playing a major role in dealing with this kind of violence and behaviour in schools (Arnette & Walsleben, 1988). There are some reasons and causes which activate these behaviours; such include things like increased peer pressure in the youths, use of illegal drugs, early child mistreatment or abuse during developmental stages, and lack of technical guidance or counselling. It is hence necessary to understand why these shootings occur and analyse how war against it can be engaged.
Reasons Why School Shootings Occur
Very many dynamic reasons explain the originality of school shootings and why the practice has been on the rise. For instance, some video games played by children in their early years of growth and development are believed by many theorists to have been causing this kind of behaviour. Technically, school shooting is a commonly used term which refers or describes the kind of acts or criminal activities which are committed by some intruders in school campuses or by the students themselves. Such can also include forms of criminal activities, stabbings, excessive beatings and other forms of coercion and rape (Dawes et al, 2005). As well, these practices have more often undertaken religious foundations in different parts of United States and elsewhere in the world. In different countries, a new term ‘armed classrooms’ has been coined to denote any possible campus where shootings, as referred above, can occur (Dawes et al, 2005). Some experts have strongly believed that some major causes behind the shootings include media motivations, some movies and the development of a specific culture. These are fuelled by some intrinsic factors or catalysts such as peer influence and increased consumption of killer drugs which tend to be illegal.
Going by the available information, majority of the children today grow in an environment whereby there is a lot of influence from culture and societal issues. This background becomes a catalyst which end up defining the specific character or behaviour which an individual will end up developing. In most of the cases, once a certain child has been born and also brought up in some kind of environment where drugs are common and guns are available among other social conditions, chances are very high that such a child will be disposed to acts of violence (Dawes et al, 2005). Another well known reason which can lead to the development of such kind of behaviour is when a certain individual was earlier in life exposed to some kind of behaviour or oppression. This child will end up being morally disoriented, and willing to cause outstanding chaos whenever he is.
Sociological theories have been able to offer another useful explanation behind the development of violent behaviours in children. These theories explain the major developmental stages of specific individuals, and such is something which is influenced by a number of factors (Cornell et al, 2008). Through the developmental stages of a child during his early years, some of the environmental issues and genetic constitutions will definitely impact greatly on the behavioural development. This is the case because a child tends to learn and copy most of the things happening around his life. Depending on what the child interacts with, the child tends to build a character or behaviour which is related to the nature of the environment. Upon reaching the adolescence age, what is happening around him or her is something worth copying, and hence the reason why the environment can be a sharp catalyst towards college shootings.
The adolescence bracket is a very terrible stage or period since the individual is extremely naive and in preparation to adulthood. It is during this stage when decisions are very fundamental, and more so when the individual is in some schooling institution. During the stage the individual tries to look for character from friends and other persons they admire. The bad morals within the given society will hence impact similarly on the behaviour of such individuals (Borum, 2009). Therefore, during the adolescence period, youths tend to become extremely violent because of a number of factors ranging from peer pressure, use of drugs, among others. During the adolescence age, youths tend to join the bad company which misleads them and hence begin to influence them. They then begin to consume harmful drugs which change their behaviours accordingly. Some of these drugs include cocaine, bang, heroine and some steroids. Such drugs change the behaviours of individuals and eventually altering their societal responsibilities. This is hence another reason believed to play a major role towards increased in school shootings and violence.
The developmental and sociological theories also suggest that a child will develop according to a given factor he might have gone through during his childhood. For instance, child abuse and negligence can appropriately be explained in explaining the development of violence presentations and behaviours among the youths. Males will tend to be greatly affected, and statistics show that most of these shootings are gender biased on the side of the males (Borum, 2009). In other situations, we have children who undergo harsh developmental conditions and mistreatments, and such include abuse and denial of basic rights. Such children tend to become disoriented hence developing into swarthy and extremely violent individuals who are harmful even in their own society (Arnette & Walsleben, 1988).
Some other studies have shown that parents, teachers or people who interrupt children during their development period tend to influence such behavioural changes. When a child makes some kind of mistakes, especially the ones related to bad ones such as fighting, stealing, or destruction of things, bulling others, or being cruel, it is necessary to have correctional abilities since this will improve their behavioural conduct. Most of the children in these schools end up adapting and developing violent behaviour which is due to lack of parental guidance and counselling (Borum, 2009). As well, children who have been raised up in single parented families will have negative behaviours, and later pose huge burden in the society.
Fun games commonly disposed to children might be good or healthy to the children, but the introduction of some video games to this present generation is believed to have caused a percentage of influence towards this kind of violence and campus shootings (Arnette & Walsleben, 1988). The new wave or generation of video games and movies in our present market tend to be full of fictions, ruining morals and violence, and hence these have caused behavioural changes with the growing children who end up becoming rude or notorious in the future. The media has also been acting as a major contributor in influencing child behaviour and also that of the youths, hence influencing bad behaviours. The media includes all kind of messages and information relayed to human beings through use of phones, use of computers, televisions, and radios, newspapers, books, posters, journals and even magazines (Arnette & Walsleben, 1988). This presents a motivating imagination on the youth hence making them become rude.
Some student organizations and movements cause continued disagreements, and such can be another major cause for shootings within schools. The movements tend to spur differences and political ideologies which propagate enmity. The other possible cause behind such behaviours among our schooling families is due to relationships. Most of the relations in schools cause heartbreaks which in turn lead to the desire of vengeance (Beaumont, 2007). This sees people in disagreements engaging in revenge hence shooting one other within the institutions. Other common disagreements among scholars themselves and even with the teaching staff are situations which has been a leading cause behind this kind of practice. When disparities exist between specific individuals, it becomes extremely possible to have vengeance-related shootings and enmity which might lead to specific actions. Such actions might even be life-threatening (Beaumont, 2007).
It is also necessary to talk of human religious dispositions and culture which cause differences among individuals within a community or institution. Some of the major religions norms, cultures and belief or activities held by specific individuals tend to cause varied differences in ideological issues. This brings about differences which eventually promote enmity and eventually development of violent behaviours. It has been the duty for everyone to fight this kind of behaviour from the campus administration all the way to the Intelligence Service in the United States (Beaumont, 2007).
Ways of Stopping School Shootings
Since school shootings can cause very many effects and harm on individuals, there has been need to come up with ways through which such practices can be stopped and prevented from happening in the future. There has been the urgent need of coming up with effective measures, solutions and policies in controlling the practice (Arnette & Walsleben, 1988). This should be taken seriously by teachers, parents, the Intelligence Service, and the people in common in avoiding any violent involvement of students in schools and also inhibit any intrusions. This is necessary towards safeguarding our own youths and the society as well.
Profiling is a very critical approach which guides the making of decisions and also presents professional judgement which guides in the assessment of actions undertaken in schools (Beaumont, 2007). Automated systems adopted by the Intelligence Service helps in arriving at critical decisions which assess any kind of risks and target any kind of violence which might present itself. While the Intelligence Service has been initially established in preventing counterfeiting the dollar, it increased its roles in which is offers protective services so as to ensure there is constant safety when it comes to the former leaders as well as with their families. As well, the service ensures safety of different people in specific gathering including schools and other congregations were enormous gatherings occur (Arnette & Walsleben, 1988).
Different organizations and agencies have been engaged in fighting crime and shootings in schools and institutions of higher learning. This approach has always relied on the use of intelligent procedures which apply experts systems and intelligence means in order to investigate all operations which might result in shootings in schools. Strategic intelligence cameras have been installed in specific places which offer convenience in gathering information related to involvement of youths in criminal practices (Dawes et al, 2005). Majority of the campuses have also been supplied with intelligence devices in order to contain this vice.
Information is gathered concerning any kind of possessions of guns and how such guns should be used. Also, any kind of possession of drugs and other suspicion devices is recorded in these schools in order to ensure any possible occurrence has been contained. Should it occur within a stated institution, it becomes possible to come up with measures of addressing the issue, and eventually holding the individuals responsible for the action (Dawes et al, 2005). Over the recent years, some schools have been collecting medical and historical data of individuals enrolling in such schools so that their medical status can be studied. This makes it easy to tell the consumers of heavy drugs and then coming up with decisions on how to deal with them. This has been fruitful in dealing with school-based shootings.
The intelligence service and police also monitor nearby schools in order to offer fast response should there be a report of shooting in the institution. Experts have also been deployed within the student fraternities so as to collect constructive information on student behaviours, and this is significance in dealing with student related behaviours and violence. Scanning devices have also been adopted in monitoring all possessions of different individuals who enter into the school compounds. This has helped greatly in addressing any engagements in violence-related behaviours and the possession of drugs or poisonous substances (Arnette & Walsleben, 1988).
All operations which have been put in place in different schools have sufficiently played a major role in monitoring specific individuals and also making sure such shootings in the institutions of learning have been greatly minimized. As suggested by the country’s Intelligence Service, schools have been encouraged to install expert systems which communicate effectively with the Service through use of computer connections. This practice has greatly helping in fighting crimes in schools (Beaumont, 2007). Any kind of information related to violence are usually analysed and studied keenly in order to measure the causing factors behind any shootings occasions in schools.
Some of the individuals who have track records for having engaged in criminal activities and shootings incidents are usually kept under continued surveillance. This is important in making sure they do not get engaged in similar practices (Borum, 2009). This is because any shooting has the possibility of causing very many losses to property and lives. People with past records of drug trafficking, drug intake, criminal involvement, and sexual offenses would deserve to be monitored because they as well have the possibility of engaging in the practice. In advanced systems, the continued use of biometrics, electric devices, cameras, electronic computers, and alarm systems are useful in relaying information related to shootings or criminal involvements in schools (Borum, 2009).
Another important procedure which can be useful in dealing with this kind of crime is through having secure fences and monitoring of all individuals entering into the apartments and schools. Security holds all intruders out, and this is important because such people might impact heavily on the peace in the schools. For instance, it is important to know that most of the shootings recorded in schools are caused by intruders who have specific missions. For example, some cartels and syndicates might be at loggerheads with their business partners in the schools, and they will definitely intrude in revenge (Borum, 2009). Evaluator checks used by the Intelligence Service have been useful in the determination of individual clinical dispositions and characters of specific people with history of crime and violent behaviours. This help in making consultations on the relevant factors depending on issues such as health and mental information of the individuals. Most schools have been using this approach in an attempt to solve violence activities, and deal with the participants adequately.
Profiling is another assessment approach which is very useful in getting the relevant or information on any crime that might happen in the schools. Once this has taken place, response systems should be reliable so that decisions can be arrived at and hence offer sudden response which addresses the situation. Later on, any kind of information or data is then related and compared to all the profiles belonging to the students in the institution. This kind of approach is hence necessary since it has played a major role in fighting criminal activities and shooting incidences in the learning institutions (Beaumont, 2007). Basically, it has become a very big challenge for many schools in fighting violence behaviours and activities, and hence it is necessary that the government offers appropriate support in fighting this vice. This will make the institutions for learning and also safeguard the lives of many individuals. It is thus the ultimate responsibility for all school and policymakers to effectively make laws and decisions which will promote the actions in dealing with violence in our schools.
Conclusion
It is very real that school shootings have become very common. Whether the shootings are led by individuals within the institutions or intruders, it is very important to come up with ways and means through which this vice will have to be dealt with. Therefore, all chances which promote this kind of happening would need to be addressed and improve the ways through which the vice can be stopped right away. There is a very big burden left to the parents, the teachers, the authorities and the people in the society which need a sudden change in school behaviour (Arnette & Walsleben, 1988). This needs a quick response in order to make sure that our schools have been made safe and also promote the kind of education passed across to the learners. It is thus important for all students’ affairs or movements which have been spurring differences to be addressed properly and be monitored in an appropriate manner. Also, it is the duty of guardians and parents to give their children the best upbringing as this will make them responsible persons in their future lives.
References
Arnette, J. & Walsleben, M. (1988). Combating fear and restoring safety in schools. New York: John Wiley and Sons.
Beaumont, J. (2007). Expert systems and the clinical psychologist. London: John Wiley and Sons.
Borum, R. (2009). ‘Improving the clinical practice of violence risk assessment: Technology, guidelines and training.’ American Psychologist Association Journal. 51, 945-956.
Cornell, D.G., Benedek, E.P., & Benedek, D.M. (2008). ‘Juvenile homicide: Prior adjustment and a proposed typology.’ American Journal of Orthopsychiatry. 57, 383-393.
Dawes, R., Faust, D., & Meehl, P. (2005). ‘Clinical versus actuarial judgement.’ Science Journal. 243, 1668-1674.
