What Are the Causes of Teen Vandalism in Schools?

Teens Who Vandalize

• Teens who commit vandalism don't fit a simple profile. Although most teen vandals are boys and many of them have a history of behavioral issues and poor grades, the Sacramento County Sheriff's Department notes that good students and teenage girls are sometimes caught vandalizing school property, too. Acts of vandalism are most often committed by small groups of teenage boys who might be bored, resentful or trying to gain status and respect among their friends.

Anger

• Acts of vandalism are often motivated by anger at the school system, a particular teacher or even the entire community. The Center for Problem-Oriented Policing's guide on vandalism notes that teens who commit acts of property destruction are not generally shunned or condemned by other teens for doing so, nor do they usually express higher levels of anger at the school system than other teens do. This suggests that even though most teens would never break into their school and destroy something, acts of vandalism can sometimes express resentments other teens can relate to. For example, if a group of boys breaks into the principal's office and spray-paints an obscenity, many teens who would never have participated in the act might still sympathize with the defiant attitude it represents.

Tagging

• Graffiti-tagging is a common motivation for acts of vandalism. Unaffiliated taggers are usually motivated by the desire to leave their mark in as many places as possible. Taggers who succeed in marking places that are hard to access can gain a lot of respect from other taggers and from peers in general. Taggers affiliated with a gang are usually motivated by the desire to spread their gang's power and influence and to recruit new members. Gang members might even be ordered to tag their gang's name or symbols as a condition of membership. Teens who disagree with a school policy such as locker searches or a dress code might leave graffiti as a form of protest.

Other Motivations

• Some teens commit vandalism as an incidental byproduct of theft. For example, the teens might break a window or cut though a fence or a chain to get in and steal sports or computer equipment so they can sell it. According to the Center for Problem-Oriented Policing, another common motivation of vandalism is to force the school to shut down for a day or achieve some other specific purpose such as preventing a test the vandal isn't ready to take.