Epidemic of Youth Violence

• NCJ Number: 171134
• Author(s): P Cook
• Date Published: 1998
• Length: 0 pages
• Sponsoring Agency: National Institute of Justice (NIJ); US Dept of Justice NIJ Pub
• Sale Source: National Institute of Justice/NCJRS
• Language: English
• Country: United States of America

Annotation

This audio-cassette lecture documents the epidemic of youth gun violence from the mid-1980s into the 1990s, examines the two major explanations of this epidemic, and considers why the epidemic began to decline after 1993.

Abstract

The gun violence that began escalating dramatically in the mid-1980s has been demographically concentrated among teen minority males, notably African-Americans and Hispanics. Homicide victimization rates have likewise increased among these demographic groups, even to the point of approaching the combat death rate in the Vietnam War. Reasons for this increased violent behavior and the increased use of guns in violent acts are multiple. The end of the 1970s saw an increase in single-parent families, the breakdown of minority urban families, and economic decline. These factors, combined with the increased marketing of crack cocaine in urban communities fueled the conditioning of violent behavior. The marketing of crack cocaine perhaps contributed to the demand for guns, as young urban males perceived the need for weapons to protect turf and combat competitors and enemies. Some criminologists have explained this epidemic of youth violence as being the lack of moral development among large numbers of individual youth. This view has spurred a focus on a punitive approach toward individual juvenile offenders manifested in waivers from juvenile to adult court for serious juvenile offenses. Dr. Cook, however, believes that the epidemic is rooted in contextual factors in the subcultures of urban minority youth, where the use of guns to settle all forms of conflict and achieve personal protection has become accepted. The decline in youth gun violence from the peak in 1993 is due to, according to Dr. Cook, laws and law enforcement that have targeted violent youth and the accessibility of guns. He advises that the separation of violent kids from guns should be a central policy focus. Questions from the audience are included on the cassette.