One of 52 theoretical papers on school crime and its relation to poverty, this chapter presents an aesthetic theory of vandalism and reports nine original empirical studies that are relevant to the theory. It is proposed that the act of destroying an object is enjoyable because it is, in effect, an aesthetic experience. The essay is divided into five sections. First, some comments are offered concerning existing theories and, by way of contrast, pointing out the distinctive characteristics of the environmental or stimulus-centered approach. Second, an aesthetic theory of destruction is presented and applied to the specific problem of vandalism in the schools. The third and central section reports several new empirical studies that tested the predictions made from the aesthetic theory of vandalism. Finally, in the last two sections, further research is discussed and several suggestions consistent with this theoretical approach are offered for mitigating vandalism in the schools. (Author/MLF)