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Trends and Issues 91: Education and Criminal Justice in Illinois

NCJ Number
132716
Date Published
1991
Length
207 pages
Annotation
This report examines the relationship between school failure and criminality in Illinois and describes ways in which Illinois is addressing school crime, the causes and effects of student dropout, and the educational needs of offenders and other adults who were unable to obtain a complete education when they were young.
Abstract
The report is based on two surveys. The first asked Illinois public high school students and teachers about crime in their schools, while the second asked offenders about their educations. Results showed that 1 in 12 students surveyed had been physically attacked in or near their schools in the past school year, and almost one-third of the students had brought a weapon to school in order to protect themselves. Seventy-two percent of the inmates said that they were high school dropouts, often believing that they had been forced out of their schools by administrators who didn't want students with behavior problems in the schools. Programs to address these problems include law enforcement in the schools, special education services, programs to address truancy and prevent dropouts, correctional education, and adult education. Interagency cooperation is crucial to the success of these efforts. Tables; figures; footnotes; appended data on study methodology; Illinois crime trends; the Chicago school discipline code and other topics; and 195 references