Book Review: School Community and Disorder: Communal Schools, Student Bonding, Delinquency, and Victimization

DOI10.1177/0734016805275691
Date01 May 2005
Published date01 May 2005
Subject MatterArticles
work is its organization. It is not a textbook nor does it read like one. The book includes six
parts containing information from articles published previously. Because the book does not
flow well, readers will find themselves turning from section to section to makesense of what
is being discussed. Given the amount of technical and legal information in this book, it would
be better if there were more of a straightforward delivery of material. Students and profes-
sionals alike would be able to understand more fully if there were an introduction that dis-
cussed the basic issues comprehensively. Aside from this concern, the book is a wealth of
information. This book currently is the definitive work when it comes to the issue of compe-
tency and a sufficient way to measure it. It is a must read for everyone concerned about the
issue of adjudicative competency.
Daniel W. Phillips III
Lindsey Wilson College
References
Dusky v. United States, 362 U.S. 402 (1960).
Godinez v. Moran, 509 U.S. 389 (1993).
School Community and Disorder: Communal Schools, Student Bonding, Delinquency, and
Victimization, by Allison Ann Payne. New York: LFB Scholarly Publishing, 2004, 161 pp.
DOI: 10.1177/0734016805275691
School Community and Disorder, by Allison Ann Payne, is an appropriate selection for the
“Criminal Justice: Recent Scholarship” series. Scholars have focused a great deal of attention
on examining the factors involved in crime and violence in schools to develop effective pre-
vention strategies. Previous research has identified both school-level and individual-level
predictors of delinquency. The majority of the research and the school-based delinquency
prevention programs are targeted at individual students, however. This trend stands in
marked contrast to explanations and theories of the causes of crime in the community. Many
criminological theories and research studies have focused on social structural factors and
social processes to explain crime and delinquency.Positive social relations among neighbors
and what has been called “neighborhood collective efficacy” have been found to increase
informal social controls and lead to reduced levels of crime. Payne applies this idea to school
crime. “Communal school organization” refers to the organization of a school as a commu-
nity and includes positive relationships between administrators, teachers, and students; com-
mon goals and norms; and a sense of collaboration and involvement. Previous research has
shown that schools that are communally organized have more positive student attitudes,
better teacher morale, and less student disorder.
Methods. Payne used data from the National Study of Delinquency Prevention in Schools,
based on a nationally representative sample of more than 1,200 schools, conducted by Gary
Gottfredson and his associates. Payne tested whether communally organized schools had a
significant relationship with student bonding, delinquency,and victimization of students and
Book Reviews 95

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