The Impact of Schools and Education on Antisocial Behavior over the Lifecourse

Abstract

Lifecourse/developmental (LCD) perspectives and theories have gained a prominent role in the examination of antisocial behavior over the last two decades. However, much of this work does not thoroughly investigate the in fl uence of schools and education. Although there is a large body of work investigating school-related risk factors of antisocial behavior, an area of research that aligns well with the LCD perspective, education is not a primary focus in the majority of the established LCD theories. In addition, there is little work that examines the role of schools and education through a general LCD lens. This chapter will review the research that has been conducted in each of these areas and discuss possible directions for future theoretical and methodological analysis of antisocial behavior within the LCD perspective. KeywordsLifecourse/developmental • School delinquency • Antisocial behavior • Education and crime • School risk factors

Schooling from adolescence through early adulthood.

“…Relatedly, U.S. schools continue to struggle with the intersection of school discipline and policing and disparities in how policies and practices are enacted across racial and gender lines. Restorative justice policies, wherein schools use community-building and reconciliation strategies to repair the damage caused by student misbehavior, have been heralded as a means of combatting punitive discipline strategies that are commonly enacted in schools (Payne & Welch, 2013). Evidence suggests that restorative justice practices are effective in improving relationships and disrupting the school-to-prison pipeline (Ortega et al, 2016), yet such practices are least common in schools with the populations most commonly affected by disparate discipline practices (e.g., Black youth; Payne & Welch, 2013) and are often enacted concurrent with more authoritarian discipline practices (Ipsa-Landa, 2017).…”

Changing routine activities and the decline of youth crime: A repeated cross‐sectional analysis of self‐reported delinquency in Sweden, 1999–2017*

“…Adolescents’ relations to parents and school as two major agents of socialization take a key position in criminological theories (e.g., Fagan & Bendini, 2019; Hirschi, 1969; Payne & Welch, 2013; Stattin & Kerr, 2000). Social control theories assume that social bonds to conventional institutions help to suppress deviant impulses, as does surveillance by parents.…”

Bully Victimization, Truancy, and Violent Offending: Evidence From the ASEP Truancy Reduction Experiment

“…As noted by Henry and Huizinga (2007, p. 358.e9), when “students become disengaged from school, one potential manifestation of this disengagement may be truancy.” The strength of a young person’s social bond to school is associated with the likelihood of crime and delinquency: low bonds or a weak attachment to school equate to a higher likelihood of crime and delinquency and vice versa (Hirschi, 1969). Young people who have a strong bond to school might have reduced odds of engaging in violence because schools assist in the development of “social and academic skills through certain practices, thereby increasing children’s ability to learn and their enjoyment of school, ultimately leading to a greater likelihood of prosocial behavior” (Payne & Welch, 2013, p. 54, emphasis in original).…”

“…Time away from school in unstructured environments present young people with greater opportunities to engage in violence (Cardwell et al, 2019; Henry et al, 1999; Henry & Huizinga, 2007a; Maimon & Browning, 2010; Monahan et al, 2014; Osgood et al, 1996). Schools also act as a means to socialize young people into prosocial behaviors (Payne & Welch, 2013). As such, increasing school attendance and reducing truancy should theoretically be associated with reduced odds of engaging in violence and violence related behaviors (see Cardwell et al, 2019).…”