Schoolyard Bullies Essay

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Schoolyard Bullies Have you ever been bullied? Were you a bully at school? Nowadays, an increasing number of students do not want to go to school because they fear bullies. The essay “Schoolyard Bullies”, by Stephanie Simon, presents the point of view from prosecutor James Backstrom and others that some school bullies should receive jail sentences. Students who do not want to go to school, because they are suffering from bullies. The reasons that prosecutor Backstrom “wants those who are at least thirteen years old to hear a cell door slick behind them. To spend at least part of a weekend locked up, alone and remorseful” (Simon par 2) are: the victims should be safe and be able to go school without panic; jail punishment will scare bullies and teach them that there are consequences for their actions. I am in favor of Backstrom’s opinion that schoolyard bullies must go to jail. Punishing bullies by going to jail is an effective way to ameliorate school violence. Schoolyard bullies who are at least thirteen years old should go to jail because victims should have guarantee of security, threat of jail can scare bullies, and jail punishment can teach bullies to take responsibility for their behaviors. Schoolyard bullies ought to go to jail since victims should be safe at school. Schools are supposed be a “safety island” for students. However, today, because of school violence, schools have become one of the reasons that students not go to school. “A study released this month by the National Crime Prevention Council found that 42% of teens see at least one bullying incident in school every day. An additional 26%” see such episodes once a week. The U.S. Department of Justice estimates that every day 160,000 students miss school because they fear harassment by bullies” (par 7). Although schoolyard bullies may be disciplined by school after victims’ revelation, victims
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