NCJ Number
186039
Date Published
June 2000
Length
6 pages
Annotation
A 2-day meeting sponsored by the Australian Minister for Justice and facilitated by the Australian Institute of Criminology brought together 22 young men and 10 youth workers in December 1999 to examine their experiences of violence as perpetrators, victims, or both and to identify effective and promising strategies for policy development.
Abstract
The discussions revealed that a range of violence was part of the lives of this selected group of young men. The young men’s bodies had indications of knife wounds; at least one participant had experienced incest. The youths did not appear to consider that they had a responsibility to society. However, many expressed a desire to change and avoid violence. They reported an antagonistic relationship with the police, wanted help in managing their anger, could not access or afford recreational facilities to expend their energy legitimately, and wanted to make drugs harder to obtain. A review of research literature confirmed the relevance of these issues. The meeting participants confirmed several strategies for policy development, including parent education and support, childhood and adolescent interventions, drug prevention and intervention, new approaches to policing, and anger management services. Findings also suggested the need to design programs carefully to make evaluation possible. Notes and 48 references