NCJ Number
175103
Journal
Law Enforcement Technology Volume: 24 Issue: 1 Dated: January 1997 Pages: 28-30
Date Published
1997
Length
3 pages
Annotation
This article examines different approaches to the interrelated problems of drugs, guns and youth crime.
Abstract
One in four victims of violent crime are juveniles. Frequently, drugs, guns and youth crime are intertwined. While each area must be attacked, they must all be attacked at the same time; taking guns away from young people, implementing drug counseling and treatment and violence education must be integrated into law enforcement efforts. The article describes successful programs in Charleston, SC, where officials offer a bounty for turning in illegal weapons; St. Louis, MO, where they begin anti-violence education as early as the third grade; and Baltimore, MD, which has an extensive and sophisticated anti-violence program directed at school children. Actions of community groups combined with police reactions to guns appears to have resulted in a leveling off in the rate of homicide by young people. After a steady growth from 1985 to 1991, the rate since 1991 has been relatively flat.