NCJ Number
160590
Date Published
1992
Length
96 pages
Annotation
This report summarizes key workshop presentations on the impact of community violence on African-American children and families.
Abstract
The first section provides an overview of the scope of the problem, identifying the extent, prevalence, and nature of community violence in African-American communities. Next, the summary report reviews the theoretical and conceptual frameworks that have guided research in the area of violence and its impact on children. The third section of the report addresses the impact of community violence on the social and emotional development of African-American children. An overview of prevention programs that have been developed to address violence is presented in the fourth section. This section also discusses the evaluation of violence-prevention efforts. The fifth section profiles three violence-prevention programs in Massachusetts, California, and Ohio. The report then focuses on the lack of involvement of mental health professionals in the public health problem of community violence. It considers some of the reasons for this and suggests that mental health professionals may have to develop a new treatment paradigm to meet the needs of African-American children who are victims of community violence. The seventh section presents three discussions of new directions that must be taken to counter violence more effectively in the African- American community. The primary theme is that the political and social context of African-American communities must be understood before intervention in African-American community violence can be effective. Recommendations to Federal and State agencies complete the workshop summary. 30 references, an 18-item annotated bibliography, and appended resource and participants lists