Every argument that I have ever heard in the defense of schools has come down to oversights and assumptions. When people argue that schooling is a valuable tool for reducing crime rates, I encounter both of these types of arguments.
For starters, I have never in my life seen any evidence that so much as implies that schools help reduce crime rates. I have heard numerous arguments that products of the schools do not commit crimes as much as dropouts. Despite the frequency of these arguments, I have never seen any numbers. These arguments rely on assumptions.
In all honesty, I wouldn’t be that surprised if these numbers do support the claims. While I still want evidence before I accept the claims, there are reasons that they can be true without establishing schooling as an effective crime prevention tool. These reasons are the oversights that I mentioned.
On one hand, we have crime caused by the schools’ promotion of greed, corruption, and selfishness. On the other hand, we have crime caused by discrimination against dropouts, limited options for those who learned outside the confines of a schooling environment, methods of keeping future criminals from graduating, and even creating laws that work against those who do not give up their childhoods to their schoolwork. Which of these two things is more significant? I wouldn’t be too surprised if it’s the latter.
Perhaps I should go into a little more detail. There is no denying that a lot of graduates engage in criminal behavior.
The schools use your future as an argument to hand over your childhood to them. With careers at stake, those who do well usually do so because they embrace the value of money. The average graduate develops a sense of greed. Greed should not be viewed as a strong value, and living your life for money can (but definitely shouldn’t) justify corrupt actions.
The things that the schools demand, such as abandonment of childhood and blind obedience to teachers, are easier if you are willing to do whatever it takes to put yourself ahead of others. Also, greed practically demands acting for one’s self. They are not teaching people to contribute to society. They are training people to put their own selfish desires over what is right.
It seems like half the time that I hear of school violence, a teacher or parent will defend the violent individual by pointing to their schoolwork. “He was a good student” seems to be the second most uttered cliché in these instances behind “He was a quiet student.” Personally, I think that it’s disgusting that people are defending criminals purely based on their performance in school. What does that say about our priorities?
Looking at dropouts, the schools have mechanisms in place that can increase the crime rate and otherwise skew numbers in such a way that they look better than they should.
This is a money-driven world. Without money, we can’t survive. This means that those who are desperate for survival are more likely to acquire money through criminal activity. Since the schools close doors for those who learn outside of their mental prisons, dropouts tend to be higher risk for criminal activity as an act of desperation.
It isn’t just about money. We look down on those who do not graduate. We mistreat them. In addition to financial troubles, dropouts have higher levels of risk for stress. Some stressed out individuals resort to mood-altering drugs. Some just repress emotional problems until they snap. This is another way that the schools can increase crime rates among those who fail to succumb to the schooling process.
While the two previous paragraphs discuss ways that the schools can increase the crime rate among dropouts, they can also shift numbers. Expulsion might be rare these days, but it still happens. Those who are expelled are removed from the numbers of those who will graduate, and added to the numbers for dropouts. Once again, this is not an example of the schools fighting crime. Instead, this is skewing numbers in such a way that graduates look better in comparison to dropouts.
We are dangerously close to making it illegal to not be a product of the schools. There are already truancy laws out there. Some people want to make it illegal to drop out. If that happens, the schools would love the change in numbers. That would turn 100% of the dropouts into criminals. No matted how much the schools mess up their students, they will never match that number.
I have heard a lot of people insist that schooling is important not because they will keep children away from crime, but because dropping out will guarantee criminal behavior. I am still waiting on the evidence behind this claim. This argument is usually stated in defense of the schools, but I feel that it points to some serious flaws. The schools are not effective at preventing crime. Instead, we are pushing dropouts into lives that are beneath them. That is not how you fight crime.
Let’s look at the bigger picture here. A supermajority of the population graduates high school. Most of those who don’t graduate still have extensive experience within the schools. I can’t think of a single bigger influence on the modern world than our schools. If the schools are a valuable crime prevention tool, then you should feel safe right now. I will let you determine the value of schooling in reducing the crime rate. Just answer one question. Do you feel safe?
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