Perceptions of School Resource Officers: Protectors or Prosecutors?

Since the 1990s there has been a significant rise in the number of police officers in schools. There have been growing concerns regarding the effects of school resource officers (SRO) on students’ long-term outcomes and whether or not they are an effective aspect of school safety. Public opinion, es...

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Bibliographic Details
Authors: Almanza, Matthew (Author) ; Mason, Makayla (Author) ; Melde, Chris (Author)
Format: Electronic Article
Language:English
Published: 2023
In: Criminal justice review
Year: 2023, Volume: 48, Issue: 3, Pages: 318-338
Online Access: Volltext (lizenzpflichtig)
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Summary:Since the 1990s there has been a significant rise in the number of police officers in schools. There have been growing concerns regarding the effects of school resource officers (SRO) on students’ long-term outcomes and whether or not they are an effective aspect of school safety. Public opinion, especially among key stakeholder groups, impacts policy and practice decisions, and, therefore, there is a need to examine and synthesize the current state of the literature on stakeholder perceptions of SROs. We conducted a systematic review of the literature regarding student, teacher, principal, parent, and SRO perceptions of the role and effectiveness of SROs. The findings across thirty-one publications suggest that key stakeholder groups largely report SROs as a positive presence within schools. Findings are mixed across studies, however, and key differences in perceptions of law enforcement among important school stakeholder populations are discussed.
ISSN:1556-3839
DOI:10.1177/07340168221113352