Adolescents Who Carry Weapons to School: A Review of Cases

Multiple self-report surveys have collected data about weapons in school. This record review study considers characteristics of 47 adolescents adjudicated for carrying weapons at school and provides a descriptive analysis against a comparison group of 37 juveniles with other offenses. Demographics, weapon type, legal history, prior school suspension, intelligence tests, substance use and mental health information are discussed. The results show that the populations appear more similar than different with high rates of prior criminal offenses, school problems, mental health referrals, low intelligence and problems with alcohol or drugs. No specific factor reliably distinguished weapon carriers from non-weapon carriers. (Contains 3 tables.)