For Safety's Sake

July 12, 2021

Buffalo, NY - Timothy J. Servoss, PhD, is contributing to the national conversation about the impacts of school resource officers on students, school discipline and crime. The associate professor of psychology participated in a week-long virtual meeting convened by the U.S.
Department of Justice and National Institute of Justice to hear from scholars about their research related to school resource officers and school-based policing.

Such security measures in American high schools are meant to keep students safe but Servoss’ research revealed that the nationwide trend of embedding security cameras, resource officers and police officers in schools has unintended consequences. Among his findings: The more security there is in a school, the less safe students feel. Additionally, increased security does not decrease student misbehavior, crime, victimization or bullying.

The National Institute of Justice is compiling the information shared by researchers to inform a Congressional report.

WEB EXTRA

Click here to read more about Tim Servoss' findings.