Vandalism

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Jugendliche Vandalismus Juvenile Vandalism
Parents Watch A new approach towards the
eradication of the vandalism phenomena Prof.
Israel Kim Dr. Avi Bruchman Beit-Berl
College Pädagogische Hochschule LudwigsburgSixth
Israeli-German Symposium 6-11 October, 2005
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Definitions Vandalism is the conspicuous
defacement or destruction of a structure or
symbol. It can be done as an expression of
contempt, creativity, or both. Vandalism as
Crime Vandalism is defined by the FBIs Uniform
Crime Report (UCR) as willful or malicious
destruction, injury, disfigurement, or defacement
of any public or private property, without the
consent of the owner or persons having custody or
control. Vandals are those defined in the Israel
Penal Code 452, 448, 449, 195 196 (1977) much
in the same line of the FBIs UCR, above.
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The Israel Police Data
Out of the 254,706 property offence files issued
by the police in 2003, 28,615 were due to
vandalism. (vandalism) In 2003 the police
issued 828 criminal files against juveniles for
vandalism as compared to the 746 issued in 2002.
(403 were issued in schools)
Central bureau of
statistics, 2002
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General Vandalism Theories Defensible Space
Theory Newman(1972) found that crime rates in
high-rise buildings where hallways, lifts,
lobbies, fire escapes, roofs etc. were isolated
from public scrutiny, were higher than in
low-rise buildings. His solution was to re-design
apartment buildings so public areas would be
under surveillance by some residents at all
times. Murry(1983) adds the concept of
surveillance watch by concernd residece groups,
better policing the improvement in
police-community relations as nessesery in
combating vandalism.
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Manageable Space Theory Perlgut
(1981,1982) emphasized the need for management
which assumes most residents can learn and even
seek out responsibility and exercise considerable
creativity in participating in their communities,
such as in curbing vandalism. Physical Design
and Kinetic Management Theory Felson (1987)
suggests the manipulating of the environment to
divert flows of likely offenders away from likely
targets, or to restrict them to where they can be
monitored. Clark Felson (1988) add for the
first time the concept of Neighbourhood Watch
Citizens' Patrols.
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• They have categorised a number of situational
  crime prevention strategies collected from
  successful case studies. Some are relevant to
  vandalism could be summed up by the Reduction
  Convergence of Targets and Offenders. These are
• Constrain offenders-
• By strengthening social controls through
  smaller
• classes in schools.
• By restricting access to facilities or means of
  
• committing crimes by placing a ban on the
  sale of
• aerosol paint sprays to juveniles.
• By restricting access to substances such as
  alcohol
• which might lead people to commit crimes by
• banning the sale of alcohol at football
  games.

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• Protect targets-
• By target hardening, for example using vandal-
• resistant materials in public places.
• By restricting access to places where crimes
  could
• be committed, for example by padlocks or
  security
• guards on trains.
• Enhance guardianship-
• By increasing surveillance, real or apparent
  through
• Neighbourhood Watch, citizens' patrols,
• Assigning responsibility-
• By training employees to challenge potential
• offenders.
• By increasing the capacity to intervene by
  giving
• radios to bus or train drivers.

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• Specific Juvenile Theories
• Community Policing theories
• The Safe- School (Kim, Yehezkeli Bruchman,
  1996), suggests partnership between all parties
  concernd to the problem of vandalism in order to
  curb it.
• Broken Windows (Kelling Wilson, 1982),
  suggests giving an immediate answer to a problem.
• Weed Seed (Gimshi, 2001), suggests weeding
  the bullies only then treating the problem.
• These are ways and means of zero tolerance
  dealing with juvenile vandalism.
• Delinquency the family theories (Cohen, 1955
  Cloward Ohlin, 1961 Hirshi, 1969, Shoham, 2004
  and Bruchman Kim, 2005), suggest that when the
  family instills its values and norms in its
  children in a

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clear cut and positive manner, when it supports
its children and involve in their schooling and
in their after school activities, then their kids
will demonstrate a more normative behavior and
hens get less involved in acts of vandalism.
i.e., Parents Watch. Horowitz (2003), Casserly,
Bass, Garrett (1982) suggest that the social
context (Ursula, 2005) is a key element in
adolescent vandalism. When the school climate is
supportive and encourages teamwork, and students
find that schooling is related to their lives and
can advance their goals, and the school defines
norms and rules such that students feel the
system is fair, vandalism is less likely to
occur.
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• Tygart (1988) suggests that the most important
  vandalism variables are
• Objective variables-
• Age of student population.
• Staff turnover.
• Parents support of school discipline policy.
• Size of school.
• Subjective variables-
• Student perception of the integrity
  fairness
• of their teachers.
• The clarity of school norms.

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Vandalism in Parks in Schools The phenomena
of juvenile vandalism is taking place in three
major arenas namely, in public buildings, in
parks and in the schools. This is part of the
general breakdown and loss of authority in the
Israeli society in general and of parents at home
and teachers in schools in particular. Israel
teachers union in violent environment(2005)
portrays the state of vandalism in schools as
such Egg throwing. Toilet papers in the hallways
yards. Flooding classrooms using fire hoses.
Braking classroom windows damaging classroom
school walls. Damaging furniture computers.
Graffiti on school walls. Damaging faculty
members cars.
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Juvenile Vandalism Parents Watch in the Raanna
Municipality Numerous studies in juvenile
delinquency and in particular those studying
vandalism, indicate its connection to the family.
Especially, the loss of family authority (Kenney
Watson, 1989 Bruchman, 2002 Gimshi, 2003
Kim, 2004 Bruchman Kim, 2005). Parents watch
is what is known in the relevant literature as
citizens' patrols neighbourhood surveillance
programs. These parents patrols are designd to
curbing vandalism in the municipality of Raanna
and are based upon the above theories, especially
those of the community policing.
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In the city of Raanna, much as in other
municipalities in Israel there is an increase in
the rate of juvenile delinquency including
violence, bullying, substance abuse, theft and
vandalism. In a survey carried out in 2004 in
the Metro-West high school, out of 762 students,
31 rated vandalism as high very high in their
school. In the same year a count of broken
furniture in the city high schools at large show
that 351 chairs as well as 104 desks were put out
of commission, as well as over 1000 desks
chairs that were taken for repair. Smoke bobs
were also thrown in the schools.
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These activities take place unobtrusively, away
from the scrutiny of authority. Most of the
perpetrators are 15 to 17 years of age, junior
high or high school student population.
Vandalism activities take place mostly very
late at night, on weekends and summer vacations.
In order to eradicate or at least minimize its
occurrence, a parents watch was
established. This is a joint effort of formal and
informal enforcement associations. These include
Al-Sam (anti-drug association), Community
Policing, the Municipality and Concerned Parents.

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This watch model brings to the fore the idea of
partnership between the police and the community
in curbing crime (Amir, 2000 Gimshi, 2003 kim
Bruchman, 2005). The volunteers are parents to
school age children. They are incorporated into
the civil guard force which is part of the
community policing. This is so due to the fact
that the volunteers, while on duty, need an
official authority insurance in order to be
able to function. The volunteers unit sums 65
parents who underwent comprehensive training of
13 long 3 hour sessions each by police
professionals. Parents patrol the neighborhood in
the late hours of nights, particularly on
weekends. They survey the meeting grounds of
youth, show their presence, talk and get to know
youth. When needed, they involve professional
help.
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The parents volunteer unit operates already for
the 2nd year. From interviewing some of the
participating parents, some of the youths as well
as police officers and municipality officials, it
seems that there is some deterrent of vandalism
in the watch patrol mere presence. Also, some
youths who at first opposed their parents
presence, got used to it after a while. Finally,
there is no statistical count as yet to be able
to monitor the rate of success of the program.
However, the manager of the municipality
emergency 24 hour call reports of a lesser rate
of vandalism complaints by citizens. We hope
this watch model will help to restore and
rehabilitate parents authority and save tax
payers money.
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Thanks