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Vandalfsm. A Studioi School yOzdalism. NumberOne.Southwest Texas State, Univ., San Marcos. Center forJuvenile Delinquency Prevention. .

SPONS Ae NCY. Texas Governor's OffiCe, Austin. Criminal JusticeDiv. ,his

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EDRS PRICi MF01/PC01 Plus Postage.DESCRIPTORS Adolescents; *Crime Prevention; Educational Change; .

Educational Facilities Design; Elementary SecondaryEducation; Guiderines; Institutional Characteristics;*School Buildings; School Security; *School .

Vandalism; Student Char teristics; Student SchoolRelationship

ABSTRACTWritten to help school.administrators and communitli

leaders, this pamphlet discusses,school vandalism arid ways to preventit.*The first sections highlight the Physical, financial, and socialcosts of vandalism and present a profile of the 'typical vandal--ayoung teenage boy.tThe following sections ieview.the psycyologicalreasons for vandalism, which the authors say are not well understood,and enumerate the chvacteristics of schools, administrators,teachers, and student-pdhool relations that accompany vandalism.Next, a "primer" on yandalism pi'evention first notes the inconsistenteffectiveness of increased security measures and then recommendstechniques for making schools less vulnerable and attractive toattack. Ways suggested to reduce vulnerability include occupying,watching, and controlling access to the1 school and designing schoolswitbvandalism in mind. Techniques for reducing attractiveness as atarget include revising cuiriculums, changing idministrative policyand organizational structure, and involving students, parents, andthe community. The finaksection gives five suggestions`for immediateresponses to vandalism, including *quick repS4r, formal recordkeeping,and the seeking of resti...:qition. A brief bibliography is appended.(RW)

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Vandalism:

A Study ofSchdol Vandalismb)4the Center for,Juvenile Delinquency Prevedtion

NuMter One

Center for Juvenile Delinquency PreventionPublic Service, Adult, and Continuing Education

Southwest Texas State UniversityS'an Marcos, Texas 78666-

This publication was made possible by a grant from theCriminal Justice Division, Office of thd overnor, State ,7of Texas.

0 1979, Southwest Texas State University.

"PERMISSION TO REPRODUCE THISMATERIAL HAS BEEN GRANTED BY

cyt.onze. pc

La_rleir...1

TO THE EDUCATIONAL RESOURCES .

INFORMATION CENTER (ERIC):'

ast,

U.S. DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATIONNATIONAL INS (ITUTE OF EDUCATION

E)UCATIONAL RESOURCES INFORMATIONCENTER (ERIC)

XeT.V.&;docurnent has bon reproduced asreci ed from the person or organizationoriginating itMinor changes have been made to' untgoye

reproduction quality

Pomts of view or opinions stated in this document do not necessanty reprrisent of float NIE

position or polio/

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, In 455 A.D. the Vandals, a fieice,Germanic, tribe, overran Europe andsack9dRpmedestroying property and terrorizing the populace. Their namenow stands for deliberate property damage: Today vandals plunder our na-tion's s ools, last year causing 'an estimated $590 milliOn in damage.

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Schools in the Wreck-Age. '

Unlike theitit 5th century predeces-sors, the vandals of today often attacktheir own territory. School vandalismthe illegal and.deliberate destructionof school propertyis committed bystudents themselves. They break win-dowsso many that in large districtsthe funds spent annually on replacingbroken windows could pay for a newschool; they destroy school bus seats,to the tune of $3 million every year;and they commit enough arson toaccount for 40% of all vandalism costs.'`

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School vandalism outranks all otherassaults on private and public property.At the end of the 1973 school year, theaverage cost of damages from van-

.dalism was estimated at $63,031 perschool district. That figure could payth9 salaries of eight reading specialistsor finance a school breakfast programfor 133 children for one year. A typicalschool's chances of being vahdalized -ina month are grpter "than one in fourand the ayerage cost of each act ofvandalism is $81.

Yet, these figures do not include thehidden costs of school vandalism:spiraling insurance rates and increasedexpenses for security guards, fencing,intrusion and fire detectors, speeial

'lighting, emergency communicationsequipment, and van f al-resistant win-dows. And every d lat'spent in re-placing a window or installing an alarmcannot be spent on education.

School vandalism f an also haveenormous social costs. The impact ofan 89 cent can of spray paint used tocover a wall with-racial epithets farexceeds the monetary cost of removingthe paint. An abusive word scrawledacross a hallway wall can destroy std-dent morale, disrupt intergroup rela-,tions, undermine the authority of theadministration, or even close theschool. Incidents with high social costsdamage the educational process asmuch as those with .high monetary costs.

The Boy Next Door..

Todays vandal, though' perhapsmore destructive in monetary termsthan his 5th century namesake, is nohardened, war-scarred veteran. Insteadof grizzled whiskers, he sports_peachfuzz..He is almost literally "the boy nextdoor."

The !`t§pical vandal," in fact: differsquite dramatically from the "typical ju-.venile delinqüeht."

It is significant. that vandals fall intoagvell-defined andrelatively narrowage-group. What we are dealing withis/the early adolestent male who ishighly subject to group-pressures andtransitory 'impulses. It is not at allunusual for adolescents to act outwhatever is controlling them at the mo-ment'rage, boredom, pent-up energy,or the sheer joy of "wreckreation."And while there are conditions that maypredispose or prow:the a youth towardvandalism, the problem seems to be al-most human nature. Few amqg nshave never written on a sidewalk orscrawled initials on a school desk. Van;dalism, it must be-remembered, cutsacross all strata of society, all geo-graphic regions, and all racial fines.

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He is betWeen 12 4ndIS years old.He is male.He is white. .et

Hisfam4 is less tran-sient than those ofother delinquentyouth.

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He comes from ahome with high par-ent 1 Odd conflict.

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He comMitted his actof vandaliim in 4"%kgroup, rather thanalone.

He acCeptty the valuesof the:school, but Maybe losinkouitn:the-:competition .orgrades andideyblpositions.

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Reading the Handwritingon the Wall.

The causes of vandalism remain ob-scure. Though researcVaddressing the"why" of vandalism is growing, itto date yielded no clear-cut answers.

- Among the motivating factors oftencited are: anger, frustration, hostility,bitterness, alienation, futility, inequal-ity, restricted opportunity, emotionalpain, failure, prejudice, revenge, andneedlor attention.

Although much pf the research is.convincing, the fact remains that mar* ,vandals do not appear to be among themoSt angryfrustrated, hostile, alienat-ed or needy youth. And. only a small.

s.fraoion of the youngsters who do fallinto ghat category actually commit actsof vandalism. So,, while most expertsagree that vandalism is not totally"senseless," they do not 'claim to fully.understand its causes. 4

In fact, vandalism is often poorlyunderstood by vandals themselves,many of whom report that they "don'tknow why" they did it. Many others,according to case reports, offer the un-solicited observation that destruction is"fun." Still others express "satisfac-tion" and "exhilaration." Few consider(hemselves criminals..

For the time being, we cansconclhde. only that motives 'for vandalism are di-

verse. But, the "whys" notwithstanding,the vandal profile suggests that our taskis, in large part, to anticipate and re-direct the impulses of young teenage boys.

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-For Whom the School Bells Tpll.J

Schools are by do means the help-less victims of early adolescence. Manyschool factorsmost of which areamenable to changeinfluence theamount of vandalism that schools ex-perience.

The following characteristics aretipital of schiiols that suffer highprop-erty damage or loss.

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Thor communicationbetween factilV andadministratiOn. Van-dalism ishigher whenthe principal fiats todefine policy or makespolicy decisions uni-laterally.

HostiliO and authori-tarian attittufes onthepari of tachmstoward studente. In,response to suCh attf,tudes, students.often:"take it out" on theschool.

Impersonality. Lim-ited contact betweenteachers and studentsreduces siudent in-volvpnent With ,theschool and indreases

_The likelihood vf van7dalism.

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,Lvtreme competitionfir learkrship status.Schools characterizedby intense competi-tion far kadershippositions suffer great-er property damageand loss.

A low degree of stu-dent identificationwith teaches. Whenthe students do notvalue their teachers'opinions of them, thechances of vahdedismare increased.

kudent over-empha-sis on grades. Schoolsat which studentsstrive to get goodgrades experiencemore vandalism.

Lack of *port fromparents.\Parents ofstugents in high-damage schools ex-

. press kss favorableattitudes toward theirschools than do otherparents.

A high residentialconcentration aroundthe school. If tbeschool is close 10 thestudents' honses, it isa convenient targetfor vandaliin.

The use of grades assetdisciplinaty tool.

A high enrollmeni Inlarger schools wherethere is mot. e.to,de-stroy, property dam-age is greater. Thiscdrrekition betweenschool size and van-

. dalism prevails re-,g ardless of whetherthe school is locatedin an urban, subur-ban, or rural setting.

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InconSistent or laxruk enforcement,classroom control,and non-classmomsupefvision. Whenrules'are Well Under-stood by students andconsistently andfin-ly

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pts and administra- -tors, fritter offenses

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A Prevention Pkimer. If the.special problems of early,adolescence

often intensified by social or personal pressuresinteract with schoolcOnditions to produce,vandalism, then preventive measures Must addressithese two factors: the ligture of the child and the natum of the school. Fur-ithermorel prevention must include both physical and human responses. AtpreSent most vandalism prevention or reduciion programs rely on physicalsecurity: bigger and better eleCtronic alarm systems, patrol guards, dogs,tamperproof locks, and window grills. These techniques help, but they ad-dress only 20 percent of the problemthose incidents involving breakingand entering, equipment damage, exterior defacement, and glass breakage.-(which usually occur during non-school hour-s, in the absence of witnesses).They have little effect On the 6y-to-day "trashing" of the school or on thedisiuptivp acts aimed a the school's routine (bomb threats, the setting offires, a9,d false fire al s) that are committed during school hour's. Themost sophisticated physic and electronic barriers.are not sufficient to keepvandals, from what they cOnsider an attractive target. In fact, it has been ar-gued that alarms and anned guards,,besides lowering student and staff mO-rale, Often themselves.become a challenge, inviting rather than deterrivandils.

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Vandalism prevention, then, requires noi a narrow or piecemeal ap-.proach, but a,varied and comprehensive effort thatintludes both physicaland human components geared to the school's specific problems. fur-thermore, an effectNe long-term program must involve the community 6

parents, neighbors, police and civic groups ,as well as students, teachers,and school administrators.

Keeping these things in mind, the first step in vandalism preventionis to look at the largetthe school. Why is the school such an easytarget? And why is it such an attractive target _to.young adolescents?

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Making the Target LessVulnerable. Schools are aneasy target for vandals. Mostare public, secular, and oftenunoccupied:Most will re-main public and secular, butthey need not remain unoc-cupiedor unprotected, orunobserved.

FolloWing are techniquesthat have made some schoolsless vulnerable to vandals.These are especially effectiveagainsf problems occurringduring nonLgchool htitirs.

Occupy the SchooLEmploy a custodial force aroundthe clock. In most schools the entirecustodial force works at one time, leav-ing the school empty at night. As atialternative, custodians can be assignedstaggered shifts, so that the school isoccupied around the clock. Twenty-four hour custodians are particulirlyappropriate in schools suffering spot.,adic property damage which demandsmore Than a roving patrol but less thanpermanent security guards.Homestead the scho6l. Severalschooldistricts have reduced vandal-isM by purchasing mobile homes and

, placing them in strategic locations onor near school property. A family orcollege student lives in each mobile

. home rent free in return for watchingthe school and its grounds.Invite police to use the schoolbuildings at night. Police can be is-sued keys to the schools in their patrolareaS, so that they can use school of-fices to write their reports. This placesa police officer in the school when itmight otherwise be unoccupiedLandit places a police car in front of theschool. This approach is parkcularlyeffective in rural areas and in districts

that cannot afford an alarm system.Bring the community into theschool. The school is anexcellent place for recreationalprograms, health clinics, adult

education classes, -coun selingcenters, comthunjty gatherings,.

and Boy Scout, Girl Scout, and PTAmeetings. The presence of people

in the school building not onlyreduces the opportunity forvandalism, but also stimulates

community and student in-terest in the school.

Watch the School.Use school neighbors as "eyes andears." Ask nearby homeowners tOwatch the school and report suspicious-,activities. Emphasize careful observa- .

tion and rapid reporting but discouragedirect involvedent in any situation ob-served. Such pilograms work best ifthey are organized but based on in-formal involvement rather than formalroutine; if they are accompanied byoverall involvement of parents andcommunity with the school; and if theyoffer some sort of prestike to partici-pants.Employ roving patrols. A uni-formed patrol, usedjn lieu of or. inconjunction with an alarm system, candeter vandalism. The individuals hiredto patrol should establish rapport withneighborhood youth and open com-munication with police and communityleaders. They should also vary theirpatrol patterns.Hire student patrols during thesummerand on weekends. Theschool gistrict or community can pro-vide its youth with part-time or summeremployment and at the same time curbvandalism by paying students to patrolthe school grounds during weekends,holidays, and summer vacation. Thesestudents should be paid an adequatewage and considered an integral partof the school's security force.

Control Access tothe School.Install an alarm system. Alarms are.the most expensive vandalism controlmeasure a school can employ. Andwhile they can detect vandals, they can-not apprehend; they can merely signalthe nmnitor, who may be miles away.They can be, however, an effective de-terrent.and should be considered apart of any comprehensive plan to con-trol vandalism; If alarm systems arelinked with a surveillance camera,

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chances of apprehending intruders aregreatly increased.Hire school security guards. Unlikealarm systems, school security person-nel are employed during both schooland non-school hours. When school isnot in session, theiy only function is toguard property and deter intruders.During the school day they can helpmaintain order and safety. It is ex-tremely important that the individualshired be able to relate to and work withyeung people.

Design the School withVandalism Preventionin Mind.Limit ground-to-roof access. Elimi-nate low overhanging roofs; avoid un-necessary exterior fixtures; near build-ings, plant trees which cannot beclimbed; consider raising as much ofthe school plant as possible fromground level.Build the school at some distancefrom residential areas. While theschool should be located near thehomes of most of those it serves, itwill suffer less property damage if thereis a buffer zone between it and sur-rounding residential areas.Design the school with plenty of"defensible space," so that the nor-nud flow of school traffic allows con-tinuing, casual surveillance of thepremises.Use vandal-resistant surfaces. Useharder surfaces in damage-proneareas; o'n walls use epoxy paint orglazed tile that is easily and inexpen-sively replaced or repaired; use smallwall panels and keep replacement pan-els in stock; place permanent signs,building names, and decorative hard-ware at a level that cannot be reachedfrom the ground.Plan windows carefully. Avoid win-dows that are vulnerably placed; usesmall panes of glass to simplify re-placement; use thica tempered glass,

thick acrylic, or plexiglass for \ indowsin heavily travelled or hangoutavoid useless windows in Studentstores, administration offices, and in-dustrial arts storage areas.Plan entries with multiple use inmind. Install flexible internal gates toblock off specific areas or corridorswhen necessary; provide separate ex-terior entries for communit use andstudent use; inside the buildft, createareas for informal gathering near en-trances and exits by installing soft drinkmachines and/or benches.Locate or relocate playgroundsand access roads to provide bettersurveillance by roving patrols.Consider outdoor lighting. Opinionon this issue is divided. Many schools..repOrt a decline in vandalism after in-`stalling hardened exterior night light-ing. Others report that elimination of -

all night lighting reducvs vandalism,presumably because young' adolescentsare afraid of the dark. If lighting isused, it should be directed away fromwindows to keep vandals from seeingthe process of destruction or itsoutcome.Channel graffiti Graffiti artists willusually select light, smooth surfacesrather than dark, rough surfaces. ,

Therefore, school officials can channelgraffiti onto one or two wallsdesigned to yithstandsuch treatmenrMostwalls can be paintedby students or mainte-nance staff at regularbutnoi too frequentintervals.Or one wall can be officiallydesignated a "legitimate"graitti wall, though thisapproach removes someof the challenge inherentin informal graffiti.

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Making the Target Less Aitiactive.

The school is not only an easy targetbut also an attractive target for van-

.clalism. It represents enforcAd learning,discipline, and mandatory attendance tostudents who are, 'simply by virtue ortheir age, rejecting adult standards andstriving to achieve independence fromadult control. Students are additionallyprovoked if the school functions in animpersonal undemocratic, repressive,

1 or manipula tive manner, further in-Oireasing the likelihood of vandalism.

Also, our list of characteristics associ-ated with vandals and vandalizedschools indicates that property damageand loss are higher when competitionfor rewards is intense, availability of re-wards is limited, and distribution ofrewards is unfair.All of this suggests that school policyand atmosphere have a direct bearingon school vandalism. Below are changesin school governance that can help re-move the features that thake a school anauractiie target for vandals. These pro-cedures, especially in combination, haveproven effective against all forms ofvandalism, including those which mostcommonly occur while school is insession.

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Revise the, Curriculum.Alternative scho.ols. Though original-ly designed to perform educationalfunctions, alternative schools haveproven effectize in redlicing schoolviolence and vandalism. They providean option to students who are notbenefiting from the regular academicclassroom. These schools, operatedwithin or alongside the traditionalschool, are usually characterized bylow student-teacher ratios, small crass-,es, intose individualized instruction,individtal counseling, and extensiveuse of the community as a learningresource. They offer an alternative tosbspension, personalize the learningenvirombent, and,provide success ex-periences to students who have in thepast petformed poorly.Law-related education and police:.school daison programs. In manycommunities, The police -departmenthas assigu-d school resource or liaisonofficers to local junior and senior highschools. These officers may on occa-sion assume policing duties, but theirprimary function is to counsel students,and teach law-related courses. Theseactivities acquaint sfudents.with thepositive role that law plays in our so-ciety, and personalize the relationshipbetween the "cop on the beat" and the"kid on the corner."Action learning. This term refers toapprenticeship programs as well astraining in practical aspects of adultlife. The former allow students academ-ic credit for community morkfiuch astutoring, candystriping, or asistingphysicians, lawyers, or other profes-sionals. The latter provides instructionin skills such as checkbook balancing,comparative shopping, and applying fora job. Both address the boredom andfrustration that are believed to belinked to truancy, violence, andvandalism.

Reward distribution. The school'sreward structure is.related to schoolcrime. Although the school may offerattractive incentives to achieve, moststudents receive very little in the waypf rewards. Many of those who lose outstill care about the competition. Theybecome frustrated 4: being denied whattheir environment values, and they venttheir anger on the apparent source oftheir problemsthe school. It shouldbe possible to spread the rewardsaround without compromising per-formance, standardsperhaps by reC-ognizing improvement as well asachievement, or by acknowledgingforms of achievement other than scho-lastic, athletic, and social.

Change AdministrativePolicy and Organiza-tional Structure:Leadership. According to the NationalInstitute of Echication's Safe SchoolStudy, the leadership of the principalis a critical factor in reducing or pre-venting school crime. Strong principalswho are visible, available, and respon-sive to students and staff appear to bemost successful in eliminating violenceand vandalism. Those who are less suc-cessful are often described as "unavail-able and ineffective."Discipline. The Safe School Study alsofound that the exercise of discipline,through clear enunciation and even-handed enforcement of rules, is associ-ated with a low incidence of schoolcrime.Mini-schools. To increase the likeli-hood that students will find school afulfilling experience, many,districts areestablishing mini-schoolsschoolssmOnough to allow the.individualstudent to feel significant. Similaily,several large schools are currentlyfunctioning on a "house" basis: theschool is divided programmatically intoseveral smaller units with which stu-dents can more easily identik

Involve the Students.Vandalism fund. This-procedure util-izes peer pressure jo the school's ad-vantage. The community or school dis-trict puts.aside a certain.amount omoney arid announces that the fIwill be kised to cover the costs ofVandalism. Any money left over revertsto the'students to be used as theychoose. This plan works because iteducates tudents about the costs ofvandalism, allows them to see the posi-tive results of curbing property damage,and; most important, gives them fullresponsibility for the problem.Schooksecurity Advisory council.Several school districts have estab-lished voluntary student security advi-sory councils which conduct work-shops and small group discussionsfocusing on Vandalism and violenceprevention. These committees increaseawareness of the school's problems,generate recommendations for action,and give students an opportunity toparticipate in school decision-making.Students teaching students. Olderstudents can be helpful hi influencingyounger students. In several communi-

`ties, junior and senior high schoolstudents visit fourth and sixth gradeclassrooms, where they show a filmabout vandalism and then lead a dis-.cussion on the causes and conse-quences of vandalismSchool beautificatbn projects.These projects involve students in thecare of the school building and groundsin an attempt to increase their pridein and responsibility for the school. .

The more effective projects are selectedby students themselves, continuethroughout the school year, and focuson marginal students rather thanschool leaders.

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Involve the Parents."Opel' door" policy.. An open doorpolicy allows parents to go directly totheir child's classroom whenever theywish without securing a visitor's permitfrom the office. This simple poky of-fers parents concrete evidence that theyare indeed welcome at school.Parents as Classroom and admini-strative aides. In some schools parentsare serving on antitruancy committeesalong with teachers and students. Theyvisit youngsters and their families in aneffort to resolve truancy problems. Inother schools parents are serving ashall monitors, supervising extracur-ricular activities, and helping out inthe classrooms.Tarents as an-educational re-source. Parents are also the school'sbest source of guest speakers and con-tacts for work-study or apprenticeshipprograms.Faculty men's clubs. Some schooldistricts have initiated faculty men'sclubs to acquaint fathers with the maleteaching staff and to encourage them

\ to assume more responsibility for theirchildren's progress in school.

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Involve.the Community.Vandalism forum. In one community,students and law enforcement, schooldistrict, and city personnel sponsorday-long forums on vandalism. The(orums introduce citizens to the causesand costs (if vandalism and give theman oppoimnity to voice their concernsand initiate preventive programs.Police-community and universitysponsored programs. Police depart--ments can initiate public relations pro-grams within schools and youth-servingagencies. In addition, they can enlistthe help of youth in preventing vandal-ism through police-sponsored groupssuch as The Police Youth Service Corps,which recruits adolescents from high-crime areas to work as public safetyaides. Similarly, law students fromneighboring universities can bebrought into the schools at minimal orno cost to discuss the legal implicationsof vandalism.Programs sponsored by the busi-ness community. The business com-munity can often be enlisted to set upand fund programs that the schoolcould not otherwise afford. Interestedbusinessmen can be asked to set up aprofit-making automotive shorfor ex-ample. Students in the shop get paid

re when they attend but not when they areabsentas if they were in industry.They receive practical training withinthe school. At the same time a portionof the business community has a finan-cial and personal investment in theschool.

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Picking Up The Pieces. the pre-ventivé measures listed on thepreceding pages elan, of course,function as part of a long-rangeproacthe respOnse, plan. But they donot address the question ofimmediate respon:se. Whatshould the school do, rightaway, about 20 brokenwindows, a cherry bombin the toilet, or recurringracial graffiti on the wall?

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Repair the damage immediately. Quick repair keeps perpetrators fromadmiring their handiwork, retards the epidemic effect of vandalism, andminimizes any social impact the act may have. Initiate formal record-keeping procedures and make Are they are followed. Schoolsfaced with serious problems should \begin recording all actsof vandalism.They should also consult law enfordment personnel about when policeshould and should .riot be called. Work witlithe couits. When a schoolbegins to have probleins, it should work with the,juvenile justice systemso that the two institutions can coordinate their efforts with regard toschool-age offenders. Begin an incident analysis. Careful record-keep-.ing should allow a school to plot the incidence olvandalism to find OA

precisely where and When each type of offense iS occurring. FOr exaMple,using incident analysis, NIE's Safe School Study found that: fire and bomb

# threats most often occur on Tuesdays; school property offenses tend to oc-cur with greater frequency toward the.end of each semester, especially inNovember and. December; break-ins and school property offenses occurmost often on weekends and Mondays. This kind of information isinvaluable in planning a rndalism reduction and prevention plan.Consider restitution. Restitution is a set of legal and administrative pro-cedures through which the:school receives payment from vandals for dam-ages the)j cause. While it seems reasonable to require payment for dam-ages, restitution does not appear to be worth the effort. In the first place,most vandals are not caught. In the Los Angeles School District, whichhas an aggressive restitution program, only 561percent of the offenders areever identified. From this 30 percefit, most restitution is paid before mat-ters get to court. Going through lengthy legal processes to obtain therest is simply not cost-effective. However, a parent faced with the possibilityof a court case inay make a greater effort to keep his or her child outof trouble.

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The Vandals who overran .gurope in the 4th and 5th centuries left ati in-delible mark on. the civilized world and a legacy of destrliction which persistseven today. Itthe destruction caused by today's vandals continues at its cur-tent rate our schools may become slums, or worse yet, prisom.

4iIn seara of real sortions, researchers and social scientists continue to

forobe the causes of Vandalism. But until we have a better Understanding ofthose deliberate acts of destructioti, each community must respond as best it.can by taking cues from die succeSses and failures of others who have cont,fronted the problem.

There is a growing body of literature addressing the causes and peven-don of vandalism: A concerned community, however, can not wait for pre-scriptive solutions or expect the emergence of panadeas, Many communitieshave not Only found worable solutionsp their, own problemstbut have alsocontributed to5 the fund of knopledge which may someday eliminate theproblem of vandalism together..

This booklet was prepared to acqdaint community leaders' vvith some ofthe findings of researchers and results ot experiniental prevention programs.

For persons interested in a More detailed review of the literature, a seleaedbibliography follows. , 4,

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