School Locker Searches

Cynthia Miller Juvenile Justice Procedures Wk. #5 DQ 11/16/2010 Should School Administrators have complete access to School Lockers? Most legal authorities state that the validity of locker searches is dependent on the students' reasonable expectations of privacy, which can be affected by school policies designating the lockers as student or school property, and student notification that the school will conduct periodic searches for contraband or will retain a master key to the locker for spot checks (Student Searches and the Law, 1995).The theory posits that unless school districts have written and distributed a locker policy to students, students may have a high expectation of privacy and school authorities may have to meet higher constitutional standards to conduct a locker search. The reality is that the courts have rarely found a school locker search they didn't like, as their application of T. L. O. ‘s â€Å"reasonable in light of all the circumstances† test has al lowed state courts to override whatever expectation of privacy other citizens may have in similar circumstances (S.C. v. State, 1991). There is utter certainty that state law, school district regulations, or written school policies that require schools to maintain custodianship over lockers and to inform students of this policy in writing will override any student privacy concerns that could theoretically be asserted to disallow a search. Discuss the various reasons why youths take drugs. The transition from adolescence to young adulthood is a crucial period in which experimentation with illicit drugs in many cases begins.Drugs may have strong appeal to young people who are beginning their struggle for independence as they search for identity. Because of their innate curiosity and thirst for new experiences, peer pressures, their resistance to authority, sometimes low self-esteem and problems in establishing positive interpersonal relationships, young people are particularly suscept ible to the allure of drugs. Peer pressure is the most well known reason for teens to partake in substance abuse. Some may argue that teen drug abuse is highly correlated with the behavior of close friends especially when family upervision is weak. This relationship, in fact, is reciprocal: substance abusers seek out friends who engage in similar activities. Associating with drug abusers leads to increased levels of drug abuse. Another explanation is that drug users have a poor family life. Studies show that majority of drug users have had an unhappy childhood which included harsh punishment and parental neglect females and Caucasians who were abused as children are more likely to have alcohol and drug arrests as adults.Youths who learn that dugs provide pleasurable sensations may be most likely to experiment with illegal substances; a habit may develop if the user experience anxiety and fear. With all the reasons for teens to take drugs like social disorganization, for example, I b elieve that the main reason is because of emotional problems and rational choice. References: Juvenile Delinquency: Theory, Practice, and Law, Tenth Edition Larry J. Siegel, Brandon C. Welsh http://www. worldlawdirect. com/article/825/school-locker-searches. html http://www. unodc. org/pdf/document_1999-01-11_2. pdf