NCJ Number
143810
Journal
Peace Review Volume: 4 Issue: 3 Dated: (Autumn 1992) Pages: 32-35
Date Published
1992
Length
4 pages
Annotation
Homicide is the leading cause of death among young, inner-city, nonwhite males who acquire, carry, and use guns, and the reduction of violence among youth has become a leading public health goal.
Abstract
Surveys of incarcerated juvenile offenders indicate that juvenile felons are better armed, more criminally active, and more violent than adult felons of a decade ago. For example, about nine of 10 juvenile inmates owned a gun at some time, one of five male students had a gun at the time surveyed, one of three carried a gun occasionally, and 12 percent carried a gun routinely. Social, economic, and structural conditions that create the urban underclass and lead to violence are well-known. Conventional social control agents are generally ineffective in an atmosphere of violence and desperation, especially when high-quality weapons are easily and cheaply obtained by juveniles from family members and friends. For most youth, self-protection in a hostile, violent, and dangerous world is the primary reason to own and carry guns. Convincing inner city juveniles that they can survive in their neighborhoods without being armed may be difficult, particularly when teenage violence is complicated by drugs and gangs. The only solution to juvenile violence is to address the conditions that cause them to want guns in the first place. Traditional law enforcement responses, such as stricter gun control, police task forces directed at juvenile gangs, and school security measures, are not enough.