NCJ Number
155374
Date Published
1994
Length
19 pages
Annotation
This document presents recommended measures for preventing violence in Contra Costa County (Calif.) and details specific activities that local communities and governmental agencies can undertake to reduce and prevent violence.
Abstract
The recommendations rest on the view that violence is a health issue and that because it is a learned behavior, it is preventable. As a health issue, violence requires attention not just to the outcomes of violent injury, but also to the symptoms and ultimately to prevention. Recommended actions focus on homes, schools, neighborhoods, workplaces, the government, and policy initiatives. Specific recommendations include promoting the concept that all Contra Costa home environments can and should be free of violence and developing educational interventions to empower youth who, despite disadvantages, can develop social competence, problemsolving skills, autonomy, resiliency, and a sense of purpose and future. Additional recommendations include conducting activities that help create a sense of community and draw on the natural strengths of groups and individuals in their neighborhoods and expanding public and private employment opportunities for young people while encouraging them to remain in school. Another recommendation is that the government conduct and distribute research and data that will assist practitioners, policymakers, and the public in understanding and intervening appropriately in the epidemic of violence. 16 references