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Article updated: 12/10/2012 4:55 AM

Why kids haze, and how to stop perpetuating the culture

Maine West, Hoffman hazing cases part of age-old problem

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Hazing among high school athletic teams is not uncommon, but recent cases at Maine West and Hoffman Estates high schools have experts and child advocates calling for more education and anti-hazing policies. At Hoffman Estates High School, the hazing took place off campus without the knowledge of coaches. The school's varsity basketball team had to forfeit three basketball games as punishment.

George Leclaire | Staff Photographer

Hazing within high school athletic teams is not uncommon, but recent cases at Maine West and Hoffman Estates high schools have experts and child advocates calling for more education and anti-hazing policies. At Maine West, five coaches have been reassigned while six juveniles have been petitioned to court on misdemeanor battery charges.

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The Hoffman Estates-based Children's Advocacy Center of Northwestern Cook County works with the Department of Children and Family Services, law enforcement, the state's attorney's office and advocacy groups to minimize the trauma of the investigative process and ensure proper follow up is offered to families and children who are victims of sexual abuse, including hazing.

Mark Black | Staff Photographer

About this Article

Hazing scandals at Maine West and Hoffman Estates high schools have shone a light on an age-old problem that has only gotten worse with time, some experts say. They call it a culture of sickness that gets passed down through generations by the abusers, and often the victims themselves. “Sometimes, it’s so embedded in the culture that the parents actually support it,” says psychologist Susan Lipkins.

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    • Hazing among high school athletic teams is not uncommon, but recent cases at Maine West and Hoffman Estates high schools have experts and child advocates calling for more education and anti-hazing policies. At Hoffman Estates High School, the hazing took place off campus without the knowledge of coaches. The school’s varsity basketball team had to forfeit three basketball games as punishment.
    • Hazing within high school athletic teams is not uncommon, but recent cases at Maine West and Hoffman Estates high schools have experts and child advocates calling for more education and anti-hazing policies. At Maine West, five coaches have been reassigned while six juveniles have been petitioned to court on misdemeanor battery charges.
    • The Hoffman Estates-based Children’s Advocacy Center of Northwestern Cook County works with the Department of Children and Family Services, law enforcement, the state’s attorney’s office and advocacy groups to minimize the trauma of the investigative process and ensure proper follow up is offered to families and children who are victims of sexual abuse, including hazing.
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