PROMOTING SAFETY AND NONVIOLENT CONFLICT RESOLUTION IN ADOLESCENCE (FROM PROMOTING ADOLESCENT HEALTH: THIRD SYMPOSIUM ON RESEARCH OPPORTUNITIES IN ADOLESCENCE, P 33-36, 1993)

• NCJ Number: 146362
• Author(s): M L Rosenberg
• Date Published: 1993
• Length: 48 pages
• Corporate Author: Carnegie Council on Adolescent Development
• Publication Format: Document
• Publication Type: Conference Material
• Language: English
• Country: United States of America

Annotation

A concerted public health approach to violence prevention is prompted by the extraordinary toll taken on society as a whole by violence, the inadequacy of criminal justice resources to deal with the problem, and the possibility of reducing the impact of violence.

Abstract

The public health approach to violence is characterized by three principles: the application of a scientific approach to the problem, the focus on primary prevention, and the need to integrate different sectors and disciplines to develop and implement effective programs. Violence is an epidemic in the U.S., an epidemic in which perpetrators of homicides have become younger and firearms take their toll on younger and younger victims, both in terms of murder and suicide. Firearms injury research has addressed the risks and benefits of firearm ownership in scientific terms and the risks of access to firearms, not just by criminals, but by anyone. There are four basic strategies related to reducing firearm injuries: changing how guns are stored or used, controlling who has guns, reducing the lethality of guns, and reducing the number of guns.