NCJ Number
149509
Date Published
1989
Length
12 pages
Annotation
This testimony outlines the problem of family violence, the effects on children who are victims of or witnesses to this violence, and some recommended solutions to the problem.
Abstract
Many of the observations are based on data collected through surveys and empirical research conducted by the Community Mental Health Council located in a predominantly black neighborhood of Chicago. A survey of 536 elementary school children showed that 26 percent had witnessed someone being shot and 29 percent had seen a stabbing. A study of the Center's victimized mentally ill population showed that 56 percent of the men and 66 percent of the women had been physically assaulted, and 30 percent of the men and 50 percent of the women had been raped; a large proportion of these patients' physical and sexual assaults were perpetuated by friends and family. A social worker from the Center interviewed six children at a local school and found extensive histories of family violence often resulting in murder. In many cases, inner-city children are not assisted with their grief, which may be expressed through aggression. The social worker's interventions helped those six children improve their behavioral and academic performance. This testimony suggests that the problem of family violence must be addressed through elimination of institutional racism, community development, conflict resolution skills-instruction in schools, vocational services for adolescents, injury prevention, family therapy, identification of battered women and provision of services, and tertiary prevention programs. 21 references