Group+2

=** School or Prison **=

I. Description of Problem or Issue
Questions: 1. What are the psychological effects of excessive security among students? 2. What are the sociological effect that different security measures can have among students? 3. What types of security are put in place and how can those methods be considered excessive?
 * What is the impact of excessive security on students?

II. Research Summary
Excessive security within schools has been found to be ineffective for the protection of students and has created more problems than solved. The psychological effects of excessive security are increased levels of violence within schools, a distorted perception on safety, an increase of fear and paranoia among students and mistrust among individuals. Other effects are that students become more criminalized and Blacks and Latinos are put in inferior positions because of these armed forces. My research concluded that with a decrease of security measures in school, and an increase of human detectors or people who are able to determine violent prone students, we can decrease the violent shootings or outbreaks among school. Also instead of dispersing financial money to every school, the government and states should focus on high violence school districts and put the money in those areas. Excessive security within schools actually creates problems and escalates minor problems into larger ones rather than decreasing violence and preventing criminal activity.
 * Brittany's research showed:**

Different types of security measures have different types of effects on the way the students interact with one another. A students social interaction is very important, and feeling safe and positive social interactions can work hand-in-hand with each other. When students at a school feel that the security measures are over bearing it effects there social interactions in a negative way. The students comfort level will decrease and they will not be as comfortable socially. If students feel safe in the school then their social interactions will be effected in a positive way. It is important for the students to feel safe and maintain a high comfort level to have maximum social interactions. There are many different ways that security measures can be taken in the school systems. There can be metal detectors and other safety checks upon entering the building. There can be school resource officers, sniffing dogs, different physical designs, and surveillance systems in schools. It is important to keep in mind that each safety measure can have different social effects in a different school district.
 * Ben's research showed:**

Demands for increased security in schools occur in tandem with school shootings or similar violent events. Initial media coverage induces fear in the community, causing security measures to be put in place not only at the school(s) in question but also surrounding schools. When another event takes place at a different school, it is assumed that the security measures that failed there will fail elsewhere and thus security is increased across the board. Current security measures include controlled access to the school and surrounding grounds during school hours, both the faculty/staff and students being required to wear IDs, metal detector checks, sweeps using trained dogs, reporting systems, prohibited use of cell phones and security cameras. There are a number of concerns with these methods, the most prominent being the question whether or not this infringe's upon the student's rights. While in school, parents are not required to be notified if their child is being questioned by staff or police, they do not have the right to remain silent or a lawyer, and they can be searched without probably cause. Many officials are also against these methods, claiming that the best security is to have students trust the faculty and staff enough to trust them with information concerning potentially dangerous circumstances. It is also known that companies benefit by selling technology intended for use in other areas, such as prisons or high-security facilities and selling them to schools, one example being iris scanners.
 * David's research showed:**

II. Group Product Overview
1) We will open the presentation by telling the class we will be recording our presentation to connect with students in schools where they are constantly being watched.

2) Our group will do a brief PowerPoint presentation which will discuss the psychological effects of excessive security as well as the social effects and we will also present the different types of security and problems associated with them.

3) After we end the presentation we will assess the class by asking them a series of characteristics off of a checklist. If something on the check list applies to an individual, they are to check it off. This checklist is used to determine violent prone students among schools to prevent a tragedy from occurring. By asking the class these characteristics, they can individually assess themselves to see if they are "violent prone".

III. Visual Representation
https://docs.google.com/a/my.uri.edu/presentation/d/1N6F6owqpJFC_zZ9rIxMJLAhOEoWDX2qhj1ze6h4kY3g/edit#slide=id.p

IV. Research Questions and Reference Summaries

 * || **Research Question** || **Researcher** ||
 * 1. || What are the psychological effects of excessive security among students? || //Brittany Rodrigue// ||
 * 2. || What are the sociological effect that different security measures can have among students? || //Benjamin Richter// ||
 * 3. || What types of security are put in place and how can those methods be considered excessive? || //David Phaneuf// ||

V. Annotated Bibliography
What are the psychological effects of excessive security among students? What types of security are put in place and how can those methods be considered excessive?