Unit 4:An

Introduction to the

Author & Steve’s World

Gun Violence

• American children are more at risk from firearms than the children of any other industrialized nation. In one year, firearms killed no children in Japan, 19 in Great Britain, 57 in Germany, 109 in France, 153 in Canada, and 5,285 in the United States. (Centers for Disease Control)

Gun Violence

• In one year, more children and teens died from gunfire than from cancer, pneumonia, influenza, asthma, and HIV/AIDS combined. (Children's Defense Fund)

Gun Violence

• In a single year, 3,012 children and teens were killed by gunfire in the United States, according to the latest national data released in 2002. That is one child every three hours; eight children every day; and more than 50 children every week. And every year, at least 4 to 5 times as many kids and teens suffer from non-fatal firearm injuries. (Children's Defense Fund and National Center for Health Statistics)

Gun Violence

• Between 1994 and 1999, there were 220 school associated violent events resulting in 253 deaths - - 74.5% of these involved firearms. Handguns caused almost 60% of these deaths. (Journal of American Medical Association, December 2001)

Teens & Gun Violence

• About 9% of murders in the U.S. were committed by youth under 18 in 2000. An estimated 1561 youth under the age of 18 were arrested for homicide in 2000.

Fox, J.A., Zawitz, M.W. (2002). Homicide Trends in the United States. Washington, DC: Bureau of Justice Statistics.

Teens &Gun Violence

• Youth under 18 accounted for about 15% of violent crime arrests in 2001.

Federal Bureau of Investigation (2002). Crime in the United States, 2001. Washington, DC: Federal Bureau of Investigation, Table 41.

Teens & Gun Violence

• One national survey found that for every teen arrested, at least 10 were engaged in violence that could have seriously injured or killed another person

U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. (2001). Youth Violence: A Report of the Surgeon General. Executive Summary, p. vii. Comparison of data from the Monitoring the Future Study from the University of Michigan’s Institute for Social Research and data from the

FBI’s Uniform Crime Reporting program

Gun Violence In Schools

• The National School Boards Association estimates that more than 135,000 guns are brought into U.S. schools each day. (NSBA, 1993)

Gun Violence In Schools

• In 1998-99 academic year, 3,523 students were expelled for bringing a firearm to school. This is a decrease from the 5,724 students expelled in 1996-97 for bringing a firearm to school. (U.S. Department of Education, October 2000)

Bullying & Gangs

• More than 1 in 6 students in grades 6 to 10 say they are bullied sometimes, and more than 1 in 12 say they are bullied once a week or more

Nansel, T.R., Overpeck, M., Pilla, R.S., Ruan, W.J., Simons-Morton, B., & Scheidt, P. (2001). Bullying Behaviors Among US Youth: Prevalence and Association With Psychosocial Adjustment. Journal of the American Medical Association, 285(16), 2094-2100.

Bullying & Gangs

Jurisdictions Reporting Youth Gangs by Area Type

• 72% -- Large City

• 33% -- Small City

• 56% -- Suburban County

• 24% -- Rural County

• 51% -- Overall 1997 National Youth Gang Survey - OJJDP (US Dept of Justice)

Bullying & Gangs

Jurisdictions Reporting Youth Gangs by Region

• 74% -- West

• 52% -- Midwest

• 49% -- South

• 31% -- Northeast

• 51% -- Overall 1997 National Youth Gang Survey - OJJDP (US Dept of Justice)

Bullying & Gangs

• Reported Gangs and Members

• Gangs -- 18,267

• Gang Members -- 655,385

• Estimates to Include Areas not Responding to Survey

• Gangs -- 30,533

• Gang Members -- 815,896 1997 National Youth Gang Survey - OJJDP (US Dept of Justice)

Bullying & Gangs

• One in every 113 men is incarcerated or on parole or probation.

• One in every 1,754 women is incarcerated or on parole or probation.

1997 National Youth Gang Survey - OJJDP (US Dept of Justice)

Bullying & Gangs

Percent of Sentenced State Inmates by Type of Offense - 1997

• 09% - Rape/Sexual Assault • 10% - Public Order • 11% - Assult/Other Violent • 13% - Murder/Manslaughter • 14% - Robbery • 21% - Drug • 22% - Property1997 National Youth Gang Survey - OJJDP (US Dept of Justice)

Institutionalized Crime?• Boys are responsible for 9 out of 10 alcohol and drug

violations at school.

• High school boys are much more likely to be involved with crime and violence on school property than are girls:

– Three times as many boys as girls carry weapons to school.

– Twice as many have been threatened or injured with weapons at school.

– Twice as many have been in physical fights at school.

The Mid-Atlantic Equity Center - 2006 Annual Conference“Promoting the Achievement of Culturally Diverse Young Males”March 24, 2006

Institutionalized Crime?

• In general, African American and Latino boys are more likely than other boys to be involved with crime and violence on school property.

• Within the nation’s 75 largest counties in 2001, 92% of juveniles who appeared before the criminal courts were male. Two-thirds of the juveniles who appeared in adult criminal court were African Americans.

The Mid-Atlantic Equity Center - 2006 Annual Conference“Promoting the Achievement of Culturally Diverse Young Males”March 24, 2006

Institutionalized Crime?

• An African American boy born in 1991 stands a 29% chance of being imprisoned at some point in his life, compared with a 16% Latino boy and a 4% chance for a white boy.

• Young African American men are more likely to be in jail—or otherwise in the court system—than go to college.

Institutionalized Crime?

• Teenage boys are five times more likely than girls to commit suicide, even though girls are more likely to attempt suicide. Although white males have the highest rate (60%), the suicide rate for African American boys has doubled during the last 20 years.

The Mid-Atlantic Equity Center - 2006 Annual Conference“Promoting the Achievement of Culturally Diverse Young Males”March 24, 2006