It is a known fact that the epidemic of youth violence in the United States is not over. The Centers for Disease Control & Prevention's (CDC) Injury Center defines violence as "threatened or actual physical force or power initiated by an individual that results in, or has a high likelihood of resulting in physical or psychological injury or death." Youth violence generally involves a young victim or perpetrator or possibly both.
Most often young people get involved in violent acts because of some supportive environments that prevail at that point in time. Serious violence is part of a lifestyle that includes drugs, guns, gangs, precocious sex, and other risky behaviors.
Violence among youths is an important public health problem and the probability of its increase during adolescence and young adulthood includes the following factors: early onset of aggressive behavior in childhood, social problem-solving skill deficits, exposure to violence, poor parenting practices and family functioning, negative peer influences, access to firearms, neighborhoods characterized by high rates of poverty, or family disruption. However, each of these factors varies in importance as children move from infancy to early adulthood. For example, substance abuse is a more powerful risk factor at age 13 than it is at age 20. Clearly there are major factors in youth violence in children, especially prior to puberty. After adolescence, that shifts and the major risk factors became peer interactions, including gangs. But without question the nature of parent-child interaction and the presence of anti-social behavior in parents will increase the incidence of youth violence.
It must be pointed out that investing in effective programs to reduce youth violence is a very cost-effective investment. Today, we are investing heavily and increasing the incarceration of youth even in adult facilities. This is not the best investment we can make. The best and most cost-effective investments are in youth violence prevention programs that are effective at preventing or ameliorating youth violence. This can be achieved through facilitating the entry of youths into effective intervention programs offered by such organizations as the Boys' and Girls' Clubs of America, 4H clubs, youth leadership programs, and others. Also, convene a periodic youth violence summit involving diverse disciplines, federal, state, and local government agencies and private organizations.
References Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (August 19, 2003). Youth violence. National Center for Injury Prevention and Control. Retrieved September 22, 2003.
CNN. (January 17, 2001). United States surgeon general Dr. David Satcher on youth violence prevention. Retrieved September 22, 2003.