NCJ Number
185565
Editor(s)
Delbert S. Elliott,
Beatrix A. Hamburg,
Kirk R. Williams
Date Published
1998
Length
420 pages
Annotation
These 13 papers present the perspectives of criminology, public health, ecology, developmental psychology, and other areas regarding the most recent research on the causes of juvenile violence in schools and communities and on school-based interventions to prevent or reduce violence.
Abstract
The discussions are intended for use by educators, administrators, scholars, policymakers, persons who work with youth at risk, and general readers who are concerned with current social problems. The discussions note that intentional interpersonal violence disproportionately involves youth as both perpetrators and victims, and that violence is a public health concern due to its adverse impacts on the health and well-being of children and youth and the success of other public health efforts based on primary prevention. The articles describe and evaluate strategies for the prevention and treatment of violence that go beyond punishment and incarceration. The volume presents strategy for addressing the problem of youth violence and argues that the most effective interventions use a comprehensive, multidisciplinary approach and take into account differences in stages of individual development and involvement in overlapping social contexts, families, peer groups, schools, and neighborhoods. The discussions also emphasize the importance to use research findings to inform violence prevention programs and initiatives in schools and communities and to influence local and national policymaking. Themes emphasized include the interconnectedness of family, peer group, school, and neighborhood; the dynamic interaction between individuals and social contexts in the process of development; and the need for collaboration for prevention efforts to be effective. Additional themes include the need for a public health approach to violence prevention and for three types of intervention strategies: systemic changes for schools, programs for individual youths, and public policy positions. Tables, figures, chapter notes and reference lists, and subject and author indexes