Diversity in Criminal Justice
CJ 320/82
Professor D. Dykes
NAME________________________________
REQUEST FOR APPROVAL OF RESEARCH PAPER NO. 3
TOPIC DUE: NOVEMBER 25, 2020 – E-MAIL
RESEARCH PAPER DUE: DECEMBER 9, 2020 (FINAL EXAM)
PLEASE NOTE: AN ABSTRACT IS REQUIRED; REFERENCE PAGE; PROOF READ YOUR PAPER; VISIT THE VIRTUAL WRITING LAB FOR HelpANCE; THE ABSTRACT AND REFERENCE PAGE DOES NOT COUNT IN THE SEVEN (7) PAGE REQUIREMENT.
Research Paper/Writing Assignment No. 3 –30 PERCENT
A student may choose any topic discussed in class for the third writing assignment. For example, Civil Rights Act of 1964, Voting Rights Act of 1965, Fair Housing Act of 1968, American Disability Act, Race and Sentencing, Corrections, Incarceration, Parole, Probation, Victim Services for a Multicultural Community, Impact of a Diverse Workforce and Workplace on Violence, Impact of a Diverse Society on School Violence, Gays and Lesbians in the Criminal Justice System, Native Americans and the Criminal Justice System, Arab Americans and the Criminal Justice System and any other topic relating to Diversity in Criminal Justice discussed in class or of interest to a student. A student cannot repeat a topic that was chosen for Research Paper No. 1 or 2. Each student will be required to submit a 7 page paper in APA format with seven (7) in-text references and a separate bibliography/works cited page with seven (7) references to confirm that citation skills are on college level.
TOPIC: __________________________________
APPROVAL: ________________________________
—
Impact of a Diverse Society on School Violence
Name
Institutional Affiliation
Abstract
Violence is naturally a human reaction improvised in dealing with unpleasant and painful experiences both in society and schools. One of them being school violence that is increasing at an alarming rate across the globe, which results in a devastating effect on all distinct aspects but mainly the students’ lives. Nonetheless, school violence is primarily due to the wrong perceptions that have been created towards different individuals, which affect how children will interact in schools. Conversely, when a diverse society can build better relations, this is passed down into schools, and the violence rates reduce. This research paper delves into the impact of a diverse community on the school environment and how one could reduce school violence rates.
Introduction
The sensitivity of violence that leads to anxiety, emotions, and negative images invokes the need for courage and better policies to handle it regardless of the environment (Gittins, 2006). Violence is naturally a human reaction improvised in dealing with unpleasant and painful experiences both in society and schools. Specifically, school violence is increasing at an alarming rate across the globe, which results in a devastating effect on all distinct aspects but mainly the students’ lives. This alarming rate calls for prompt countermeasures that will manage the challenge. It is prudent to note that violence cannot be beaten through avoidance or condemning it as immoral.
The best management would be first acknowledging school violence, which is traditionally known as an environment of learning and growth. The general perception of it being a place to learn and grow has led to violence slipping out the formal agendas in public education debates. Nonetheless, the development of a diverse society could aid in managing school violence. This method effectively informs the right audience on the reality of violence and its distinct educational effects, allowing different stakeholders to address the issue. It becomes a way of preventing,m reducing or diverting violence’s negative impacts on learning, instructions, and young individuals
‘ social lives.
For this research paper, the discussion will look into the impact of having a diverse society on school violence.
School Violence Among Culturally Diverse School Populations
` Extensive research has indicated that exposure to school violence is not equivalent to all groups. For instance, scholars have stated that blacks and other students from minority groups are more likely to be victims of violence in school than most whites. Also, exposure to different societal ills such as community violence, racism, and sexism will affect violence’s reactions. According to Defour (2005), substantial amounts of school violence arise from cultural ignorance and insensitivity. Notably, social demographics changes would mean that students will continuously interact with others from distinct cultures. Therefore, there is no way that a school environment will have students belonging to one or two particular groups (Defour, 2005). It is high time that they realize that the diverse groups are here to stay.
Notably, cultural misunderstandings could occur due to the lack of knowledge of existing social rules in distinct cultures. In case a student feels disrespected, violence will occur. Also, the tutors and administrations are prompted to interact with students from different backgrounds with whom they have no understanding of how to interact with them. Class and generational differences could also cause conflict between students and faculties belonging to the same ethnic backgrounds. The possibility of school violence arising will always be there as long as communities continue interacting.
However, school environments are the outcome of the societies in which these schools are based. Depending on these communities’ composition, the students in a particular region will also adhere to these diverse compositions. School violence will continue to occur if the students and teachers do not know how to interact with the present diversity composition. How the community will deal with its community, regardless of the different compositions, will be reflected in school environments. If the communities are generally hostile and violent towards different persons, this is replicated within schools.
The Impact of a Diverse Society on School Violence
While school violence could be legally prohibited in schools, these children’s societies will determine whether the violence will happen depending on the cultural acceptability of these practices. The efforts that seek to reduce the rates of school violence need to consider where these children are coming from and the attitudes of their parents, families, and communities to society (Tackling, 2012). Generally, suppose the communities and families acknowledge the existence of diverse individuals in society and accept them as they are. In that case, it is reflected in school through the behaviors of their children. Conversely, if the children watch the immediate communities being hostile towards persons of a different kind, they will replicate the hostility towards children of the same descent. Therefore, societies need to build social norms that accept the diversities within their societies and treat them equally (Tackling, 2012). The children will copy this, and the rates of school violence towards children of a different descent will have their rates reduced.
It is prudent to note that school violence manifests itself due to the school environment’s crisis in values. Violence will manifest itself in school when the environment is tense and rules by particular authoritarianism among other insufficient behaviors or no respect to students’ rights and sometimes the imposition of unproportional punishments (Pedro, 2012). The crisis in distinct values will make it difficult for students to accept rights, values, and regulations. The environment has scarcity and inadequacy in terms of attention given to the minority groups who are different concerning their ethnicity, culture, religion, and sexuality. To this effect, school violence requires a distinct approach from the normal. This approach will entail the construction of heterogeneity. In this case, the school will consider the extensive diversity within its school environment, whether in terms of culture, linguistics, economics, and society (Pedro, 2012). This consideration will lead to acknowledging multiple identities installed on trying to create an identical threshold for all students. Instead of having students gain skill uniformly, schools are required to adopt educational approaches to emancipate the student. These models will ensure that the environment recognizes diversity. The children will avoid stigmatization and ensure that regardless of the individual, they get to have the feelings of belonging rather than violent reactions being directed at them.
Several studies would also explore diversity among the young population by taking an objective approach to diversity, which entails looking at the ratio or relative representation of the majority to minority groups. According to Juvonen et al. (2006), the ethnic minority youth had indicated facing fewer violence and discrimination experiences in educational institutions and higher subjective well-being when the institutions were more diverse in relation to race and ethnicity. The researchers held these findings happened due to a balance of power existing such that no majority group is considered superior. Conversely, scholars such as Vervoot et al. (2010) claimed that ethnic minority youth have engaged in more violent conduct and experienced greater victimization in more heterogeneous school environments. They claimed that this happens due to the ethnic group competition theory, where more ethnic groups develop a social threat and the need to create group dominance.
Nonetheless, other scholars have indicated that diversity needs to be considered from the youth perspective to handle school violence instead of taking an objective view. Considering the youth perspective, it is about asking about their feelings towards whether the school and teachers appreciated diversity. The concerns that should be highlighted are whether they felt that the tutors considered and appreciated diversity within the school environment and whether they have developed initiatives to foster students’ interactions in different groups. In this manner, these concerns will p[rovide foundational information on youth’s perceptions towards diversity and how they could use it to reduce the challenge of school violence.
In a society where minimal positive information is provided to various diverse groups, it would be prudent that there is a call to increase awareness with positive information related to other groups (Le & Johansen, 2011). This would reduce stereotypes and biases among the school students while reducing their engagement in prejudice, discrimination, and aggressive conduct. At the individual level, cooperative interactions may be encouraged to develop mutual goals with institutions providing supportive conditions that would reduce the school violence rates. There needs to be personal ties and connections that are well documented between the school children and the fraternity stakeholders, which includes the immediate community members. When these relationships are established, and students can learn how this quick society can cope with its diversity, students will have their attitudes, beliefs, and behaviors (Le & Johansen, 2011). Accordingly, young individuals have stated that when they feel that schools are providing opportunities for positive social interactions across diverse groups and cultures, they become less likely to engage in interpersonal violence.
While the schools will be giving more positive information to build positive perceptions about different persons, the students will still be affected by the information relayed by the media (Gittins, 2006). As schools choose to discuss violence and implement measures to mitigate it in their immediate societies, those in schools are still affected by the media and the societal attitudes towards diversity and violence and even will be affected by global events. Typically, the media will present numerous violent events toward different persons, and at times it is presented in a manner that could have it be considered attractive and successful. A lot of actual violence will happen in an external society, and it even gets approved. To this effect, it takes the responsibility of all societal players to take the initiative and choose how they will present violence in a manner that is not considered a form of retaliatory action. Some schools would choose to incorporate a form of retribution violence as a form of punishment (Gittins, 2006). This could create the perception that violence should be improvised when fighting things that are not acknowledged. Each stakeholder in the society has a responsibility in showing that violence should not be the preferred model of action. Furthermore, they need to show that society’s diversity is beneficial to society as a whole and not something that should be fought. If the media continually provides positive information on diversity, it becomes easier for school children to incorporate the learned information in their interactions with different persons.
The pathways that society seeks to appreciate diversity and have a positive impact on reducing school violence include the development of ethnocultural empathy and civic engagement (Lee & Johansen, 2011). Many diverse experiences have been linked to intercultural thinking and complex thinking. A study by Straffon (2003) states that high school students that attended n international education institutions had positive relations between the duration which the students spent in the school and their intercultural sensitivity levels. The diversity perspectives in colleges have also demonstrated positive correlations with extensive empathy gains. Subsequently, empathy also has positive associations with psychological well-being and will negatively affect aggression and violence. In civic engagement among the youth, it is about making each feel like part of the community (Lee & Johansen, 2011). When all youths, including the immigration population, are allowed to participate in community activities, they develop a sense of belonging. They stop having the feeling of aggressiveness towards other communities, which the vice versa also occurs. m
Conclusion
A lot of school violence occurs due to the vast differences that exist within the school community. As racial demographics have led to the extensive interaction of persons from different communities, there has also been a clash on how these communities interact, which has resulted in school violence. However, a diverse society that comprises various elements should aid in mitigating the rates of school violence. With the development of positive perceptions towards diversity among school children and the youth in general, school violence based on the differences in culture, race, ethnicity, or even nationality will be mitigated.
References
DeFour, D. C. (2005). Gender and ethnicity issues in school violence. In Violence in Schools (pp. 85-99). Springer, Boston, MA.
Gittins, C. (2006). Violence Reduction in Schools–how to Make a Difference: A Handbook (Vol. 795). Council of Europe.
Juvonen, J., Nishina, A., & Graham, S. (2006). Ethnic diversity and perceptions of safety in urban middle schools. Psychological Science, 17(5), 393-400.
Le, T. N., & Johansen, S. (2011). The relationship between school multiculturalism and interpersonal violence: an exploratory study. Journal of school health, 81(11), 688-695.
Pedro, A. (2012). School Violence and Violence in School: A Proposal for a Teacher Training Curriculum. Education, 2(4), 73-83.
Straffon, D. A. (2003). Assessing the intercultural sensitivity of high school students attending an international school. International journal of intercultural relations, 27(4), 487-501.
Tackling, V. (2012). Tackling Violence in Schools: A global perspective Bridging the gap between standards and practice.
Vervoort, M. H., Scholte, R. H., & Overbeek, G. (2010). Bullying and victimization among adolescents: The role of ethnicity and ethnic composition of a school class. Journal of youth and adolescence, 39(1), 1.
