Youth Violence

Are you aware of the serious problems in schools today? Youth violence is on the rise throughout the world. Youth violence comes in many ways like, school shootings, gang violence and bulling, just to name a few. These violent acts are committed daily in all schools across the world. Victims of school shootings, gang violence and bullying are not the only victims. The person committing these horrific crimes is usually a victim themselves.

Statistics show that school shootings have decreased over the last few years, while other violent crimes such as gang violence and bullying have increased. In 2003, 5,570 young people ages 10 to 24 were murdered. This is an average of 15 youth each day. Of these victims, 82% were killed with firearms. (CDC 2006) In 2004, more than 750,000 young people ages 10 to 24 were treated in emergency rooms for injuries sustained due to violence. (CDC 2006) Among 10 to 24 year-olds, homicide is the leading cause of death for African Americans, the second leading cause of death for Hispanics, and the third leading cause of death for American Indians, Alaskan Natives, and Asian or Pacific Islanders. (CDC 2006) The following graph will show the percentages of males and females of homicides reported in 2003. (CDC 2005)

As seen in the graph, males were murdered far more than females. Males were engaged in a physical fight more often than females. In a nation wide survey of high school students 33% of the students reported being in a physical fight one or more times in the 12 months preceding the survey. Another 17% of the students reported carrying a weapon (e.g., gun, knife, or club) on one or more of the 30 days preceding the survey. (CDC 2004) Do these facts lead to why more males are the perpetrator of school shootings?

School shootings have been happening as early as April of 1891 and are still happening today. There have been 22 primary school shootings worldwide leaving 605 dead and 960 injured. There have been 82 secondary school shootings worldwide leaving 337 dead and 279+ injured. There have been 41 college or university school shootings worldwide leaving 237+ dead and approx. 377 injured. The perpetrators in these school shootings have primarily been male. These statistics are outrageous. The whole world needs to do something to protect our children. There is no reason so many people have to lose their life at the hands of another. Schools need to start teaching our children youth violence is no laughing matter. There should be some kind of national law requiring schools to educate students about how to prevent such violence.

There are a number of approaches to preventing school violence. For school violence prevention to be effective all members of the school community need to be involved. This includes all students, parents, all school staff members, administrators and school bus drivers. The main focus is to create a safe learning environment for students. The approach to preventing violence aims at teaching the students positive ways to handle conflicts, changing the way students behave and changing students’ attitudes. Everyone involved must do his or her part to teach these students about preventing violence. Establishing effective rules that provide positive behavior and the consequences

for not behaving in that manner is a good way to start preventing violence. Teacher’s need to be trained in violence prevention. Most schools have professional development days to teach prevention techniques. There is a prevention intervention whose philosophy is to provide the best care, welfare, safety and security for all parties involved. This program discusses intervention strategies. This program teaches how to respond to an agitated, disruptive and assaultive individual. The program focuses on alternatives when a person loses control and becomes violent. The program teaches how to use techniques to control anxieties during interventions and maintain the best possible professional attitude. The program trains individuals in the use of nonverbal, Para verbal, verbal, and physical intervention skills. The program also trains individuals to work as a team to resolve disruptive and dangerous situations effectively, safely and respectfully. This program is an exceptional asset to a school district and at least four to six staff members need to have training in this intervention. In larger school districts, more staff members should have training. The care, welfare, safety and security for all are the most important things to remember when it comes to violence. Everyone can be a victim in these situations.

The victim of violent acts is usually not the only victim. The perpetrator usually has been a victim of some type of violent act themselves. The person doing these horrific crimes has probably been bullied, threatened by a gang member, or had some violent act done to them. This is not always the case, but for the most part, they too are a victim. The perpetrator may have been in a gang and wanted out, so he or she was a victim of violence. They say that once a person has joined a gang that person is in the gang for life. The only way out is death. This is why a gang member wanting out is threatened or had some violent act done to them. This is one reason a perpetrator becomes violent.

Gang activity has rose in schools nation wide. Gangs seem to be primarily in the ghetto schools, inner city schools, and urban schools. The graph below shows what the percentages of violence is in different types of schools.

As seen in the graph, the highest percentage of violence is in the inner city schools.

Rural schools are starting to see an increase of gang activity due to gang member’s families moving them to rural areas to get away from the gang violence. Most gang members that move to a rural school go into that school with an “I don’t care” attitude. They are already mad at their parents for moving them away from the situation. These students tend to need help preventing violence. These students tend to act out with aggression on anyone anywhere at anytime.

Gangs have been battling at schools and on school grounds causing major problems. They have been bringing weapons to school wanting to cause serious damage to others. Most of the time it is an innocent bystander that gets hurt. This has caused non-gang members to carry weapons to protect themselves.

The problems of gang violence in schools are complicated. Other students do not want to “tattle” on a gang member out of fear for themselves being hurt. Instead,

many students choose to protect themselves by carrying a weapon of some kind. Usually

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