The contradictions of suppression: Notes from a study of approaches to gangs in three public high schools

Abstract

This article is based on data collected from two years of ethnographic gang research in three inner-city high schools. Two of the schools are situated in the same city on the West Coast, and the third is located on the East Coast. The aim of the research was to describe and analyze the range of responses of three secondary schools as they struggled to cope with the problem of youth gangs among their student populations. I argue that the common repertoire of suppression strategies used by the schools, although based on commonsense reactions to rising student violence, are futile responses to the problems of gangs and have antieducational "unintentional consequences" for the pursuance of a democratic public pedagogy.

Police Officers in Schools: Effects on School Crime and the Processing of Offending Behaviors

“…Increased reliance on surveillance and an emphasis on formal controls may create an environment of fear and distrust, weakening the school's sense of community and diminishing students' willingness to confide in school staff when they are experiencing problems (e.g. Brotherton, 1996;Devine, 1996;Noguera, 1995). Kupchik (2010, p. 115) also claims that SROs affect the overall school climate.…”

“…Other data sources concur. Data collected from a nationally representative sample of local police departments (from the Law Enforcement Management and Administrative Statistics survey) show the number of SROs placed in public schools grew from 9,400 in 1997 to 14,337 in 2003(Bureau of Justice Statistics, 2000, 2006, and the percentage of students aged 12-18 who reported the presence of security guards or assigned police officers at their schools increased from 54% in 1999 to 69% in 2007, according to the NCVS.…”

School Discipline and Disruptive Classroom Behavior: The Moderating Effects of Student Perceptions

“…The authors claim that excessive discipline generates more student disruption and resistance. In addition, Brotherton's (1996) study of gang suppression in three inner‐city high schools finds that attempts to promote a positive learning environment through the implementation of bans on gang clothing, curfews, drug searches, and electronic monitoring had the unintended consequence of inducing a “culture of incarceration,” eroding teacher–student relationships and increasing resistance. Another qualitative study presents examples of negative classroom dynamics where teachers' use of sanctions resulted in diminished authority and control (McFarland 2001).…”

Articles

“…David Brotherton (1996) presents a portrait of three high schools' responses to gang problems. The schools have reacted by fashioning themselves, Brotherton argues, into agents of social control and suppression, enacting practices such as the "use of metal detectors and video cameras, the construction of perimeter fences, and the collection of data from student informers … the mass introduction of security personnel; ongoing linkups between the police, administrators, and teachers; and the establishment of school surveillance networks" (Brotherton 1996, 100).…”

“…You see, what I want to do is not the history of solutions-and that's the reason why I don't accept the word alternative. Nor is it a fundamentally impossible position, as Brotherton (1996) and Broadhead and Howard (1998) imply. My point is not that everything is bad, but that 172 ARTICLES everything is dangerous, which is not exactly the same as bad.…”