School Violence and the Broken Windows Theory

Credit: Verywell / Dennis Madamba

Some time ago, I wrote about the Broken Windows Theory and school insults. Whenever I remember the vicious cycle where the insulter usually gets a free pass (out of the name of "kids just being kids"), I also get more violent despite the interventions done. It wasn't until I was in another school that both sides were usually mediated, even if teachers could often lapse into just "dealing with the bigger offense". It made me think that several fights I got into in high school, even if the conflict wasn't resolved immediately, eventually fizzled because when I got scolded for overreacting, the aggressor still had the punishment that met the offense. For example, I got the harder scolding for overreacting, while the other person got scolded also for triggering the offense. I even felt that reconciliation with some of my former enemies may have been much harder without mediating between the two sides of the conflict. I mean, in criminal law, when two people exchange blows, it doesn't matter anymore who started it, but both were beating each other up.

Recently, I couldn't help but process the problem of school violence. Back in the day, I had a divisive figure of a teacher who was much like the late Miriam Defensor-Santiago. Parents tend to hate her, but for some, they just dislike her but do not hate her. I thought about contrasting her against other people who were simply focused on punishing the outcome over preventing the outcome. When I said I might bring a gun, the MDS-style teacher warned me she would expel me as required by her job. True, I didn't pipe down immediately, but her preventative methods usually made the school more peaceful. There was an atmosphere of fear, not because she would whack the student, but because something as simple as a disciplinary notice or calling the parent was inevitable. The MDS-style teacher focused on fixing things before they got worse. When an offense happens, no matter how small, she reprimands. She may not beat up the student but her stern lectures often deliver the message like MDS does at senate trials. However, even as she resigned, the very school she worked for remained peaceful because the system didn't depend on her but on a system where every wrong action has an appropriate consequence. If students see you get scolded for littering, then the fear of suspension for cheating or fist-fighting is actually lower. Sure, there are still fistfights and cheating, but they were easier to recall because they didn't happen as much. Most delinquents usually leave the school sooner or later because the consequences are clear. 

The recent incidents of a school shooting in Tacloban and a stabbing incident in Cavite made me think again. Is it me, or are most schools in the Philippines really fundamentally broken because DepEd hasn't addressed the issue that much? These days, I remember the statement, "The teacher is just doing their job," or "The lesson wasn't the fault of the teacher." I remember when a classmate told me that the mathematics lesson wasn't the fault of the mathematics teacher; it was just the teacher's job. With that, the system truly has bigger hurdles. A recent statement cited by DILG Secretary Jonvic Remulla cited bullying as a possible factor. In fact, Remulla also highlighted the problem that we need to review the policies on how the Philippine National Police should interact.

The keyword is indeed bullying. As I was thinking about the Broken Windows Theory, I'm actually prone to thinking that schools aren't doing enough to administer lower forms of punishment vs. lower forms of offenses. After my incident at age seven when I punched a female classmate's eye after she insulted me, I want ot recall why the fight got worse. I believe that the teacher at that time (forgot her name already) was operating based on how she was expected. After I punched the girl's eye, she comforted the girl and gave me a severe scolding. However, the girl just kept "getting away," believing that her tongue-wagging and insults were just her "being a child". Basically, it was a vicious cycle of verbal bullying (the girl) and physical bullying (me). She wagged her tongued and I would use physical violence against her, from a slap to a punch, hoping she'd stop. It was a nightmare that I often felt it was unjust because of why she kept getting a free pass. It was even necessary to separate me and her. 

When I think about the incident back in Grade 1, I ask myself what if I ended up murdering the girl when we were both 10? Sure, I would be given appropriate punishment by the law. However, the girl's parents, if I murdered their daughter, wouldn't just be looking at me eventually. They might hold the school accountable for why their daughter died in such a violent incident. Since both me and that annoying girl were under the authority of the school, the school couldn't stop me from committing the act of violence that ended their daughter's life. Sure, she was annoying, but her death was beyond reason. Sure, my name might not have been disclosed in 1995. However, the pain and the grief that her death would've brought are irreversible. The separation was necessary; otherwise, the incident may have happened. The fault of not reprimanding the girl over her insults, no matter how small, may have given her a sense of entitlement for some time. Thankfully, she's still alive and well, no matter how crazy things went as children. 

When I was in a stricter school, the situation where a berserk reaction wasn't overly focused on the insulter also helped things in the long run. I remember an incident where somebody called me "faggot" and I choked him. He was a near-sighted, short-for-his-age teenager when we were 13. Sure, we still had our fights, but the fairness was this. The teacher addressed that my choking the guy was uncalled for while the other guy was reminded about his mouth. I also remember an incident in Grade 5 when the civics teacher who first focused on my original offense (I spat at my classmate's textbook after an insult) decided to let me and the insulter go down to the office after a few minutes of tenseness. Sure, they weren't magical solutions but because teachers were required to meet both sides, and look at every offense as an offense, fistfights and cheating were usually lower in number. The expulsion rates were incredibly low. There may have been an incident where someone brought a knife in school. The immediate intervention prevented more similar incidents. 

This makes me think it's about time ot look at the root causes. Students don't become killers overnight at a whim. Some may think of murdering someone but can be appealed to before they do the act. However, some had their reaching point that it becomes so destructive. If the root causes that start a fight like insults and poking, aren't given appropriate punishments such as disciplinary notices and spank at the hand, then the school has to get ready for crime scenes sooner or later. It's because, as said, if the window ain't fixed, punishments for more severe crimes may become more necessary than usual.

That's why I often think about how Singapore progressed. Some people argue that it's not the death penalty that makes Singapore peaceful. I mean, North Korea has the death penalty but it's not peaceful. It's because Singapore makes it fearful for people to do a crime, when they pay a fine for what may seem to be minor offenses. If people realize, "If I litter, I pay this amount," and people see the fitting punishments carried out for minor offenses, the crime rate is bound to get lower. If civil offenses are given civil punishments, then think of how much lower the crime rate can become. Instead of having criminal chaos as the norm, the lower amount of crime is a result of consistency in administering civil penalties. People would be too afraid to do crimes if they are too afraid of the civil penalty that comes with the civil offense.