VANDALISM to Community Centers

by Tim Schroeder

There is nothing that can be more discouraging to park officials than the destruction which vandals can do to park and recreation facilities. It is hard to understand why a segment of the public destroys facilities which are provided for them.

In the spring of 1973 the author investigated vandalism to one type of recreational facility— a community center. A review of the literature yielded very little research on the subject of vandalism to park and recreation facilities. There has been a considerable amount of research done on vandalism to schools, however, which has some application to community centers.

For the purposes of the study, a community center was defined as a building which is used primarily for public recreational use. Vandalism was considered to be willful or thoughtless behavior resulting in the destruction of, damage to, or defacement of community center facilities, equipment, or property.

A questionnaire was designed in such a manner that the results of the study would be parallel to and comparable with the results of other research on vandalism. Copies of the questionnaire were sent to the directors of 62 park and recreation agencies listed in the 1972 directory of the I.A.P.D. Completed questionnaires were received from 31 community center directors.

The results of the study seemed to indicate a number of things. Vandalism is considered to be a small problem by most center directors. They say that vandalism has stayed about the same or decreased slightly in the past several years.

Vandalism can cause a considerable expenditure of funds over a period of time. Directors reported they spent an average of $542.00 last year to repair vandal damage. Most of the vandalism losses reported were estimates, since most agencies did not keep records of expenditures for vandalism repairs.

Most vandals are males, although females played a bigger role in larger cities. Junior high age children are thought to be most responsible for vandalism.

Directors reported that vandals strike mostly between the hours of 6 p.m. and 2 a.m. There is more vandal damage on Friday, Saturday, and Sunday than on other days of the week. Vandals do not show a seasonal preference for their activities.

The types of vandalism which community center directors reported most were window breakage, damage to restrooms, defacement of walls, and damage to trees and lawn in front of the building. The methods which the directors used most frequently to control vandalism were quick repair of damage, night lighting, and police checks of the building. The method of controlling vandalism which center directors rated most effective were improved programming, and night lighting. The directors almost unanimously agreed that parents should be made to pay for the damage caused by their children.

There were several recommendations about vandalism which came from the study. Better records of expenditure due to vandalism need to be kept. The protection of windows and restrooms should be thoroughly investigated. When there is a vandalism problem it may be due to an inadequacy in the programming. Electronic alarms should be used when breaking and entering are a problem. Parents should be made to pay for the damage caused by their children through vandalous acts.

Vandalism is a problem which affects everyone involved with parks and recreation to some degree. The author's experience with the Alsip Park District's Apollo Fieldhouse has indicated that the conclusions of the study are correct. Hopefully this article will help some agency reduce their vandalism problem.

Illinois Parks and Recreation 14 March/April, 1975