Chilean Psychologists Warn Against Government’s Punitive Measures in Schools: Prioritizing Control and Repression

Original article: “Priorizan control y castigo en escuelas”: Colegio de Psicólogas y Psicólogos manifiesta preocupación y advierten riesgos por medidas del Gobierno Chilean Psychologists Warn Against Government’s Punitive Measures in Schools The Colegio de Psicólogas y Psicólogos de Chile (Chilean College of Psychologists) and the Association of Educational Psychologists have expressed serious concerns regarding the legislative proposals announced by the Government to combat school violence, criticizing their focus on control, surveillance, and punishment. The initiatives being proposed include stringent measures such as backpack checks, harsher penalties for class disruptions, restrictions on access to free university education, and requirements for students to attend classes «with uncovered faces. » According to these organizations, these measures have emerged in response to serious incidents, such as the murder of a supervisor in Calama and various threats within educational institutions.

However, they caution that such policies could violate fundamental rights of children and adolescents, including privacy, non-discrimination, and access to education, while also fostering stigmatization and criminalization within school communities. The statement highlights that scientific evidence indicates punitive strategies have a limited impact and may actually increase distress, feelings of injustice, and disconnection from the educational community, ultimately exacerbating risky behaviors in adolescents. Moreover, they challenge the notion that greater security can be achieved through punitive and exclusionary frameworks, such as prohibiting access to educational benefits, suggesting instead that these issues should be approached with a focus on reintegration and repair, rather than additional punishment.

These organizations also point out that such measures obscure the underlying structural causes of school violence, such as inequality, the precarious state of the educational system, and a lack of resources for psychosocial teams. In this context, they propose prioritizing preventive, formative, and restorative policies that enhance school coexistence, socio-emotional support, and active participation of educational communities. Finally, they urged the Executive and Parliament to engage in broad and binding dialogue before proceeding with any legislative reforms, emphasizing the need for public policies that protect the dignity, emotional well-being, and human rights of students.