Prevention of Youth Violence and Delinquent Behavior

Prevention of Youth Violence and Delinquent Behavior

Introduction

This paper will focus on youth violence which is spreading like havoc in the society. Protecting youth from crime is one of our society's most critical priorities. Many communities have experienced an increase in youth drug use, the active involvement of youth in street gangs, and an increase in youth engagement in and exposure to criminal activity. Today, many youth are allowed to control their daily activities without supervision. These youth are more at risk for involvement in delinquent behavior or victimization than youth who are supervised by adults. Recent technology developments have benefited our society, but they have also made access to youth easier for predators and other criminals. Several initiatives have been used to provide opportunities for youth to avoid involvement in delinquent behavior and victimization (Roche & Thomson, 2004).

Discussion

Youth violence is a public health problem that affects families everywhere. It is estimated that thousands of youth are injured every year as a result of violence. Hundreds of youth are hospitalized annually with a life-changing physical or cognitive impairment from violent acts. Most high school students are between the ages of 14 and 18 years and have reached an age when homicides are the second leading cause of death overall, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The U.S. government supports the notion that violence in general is a threat to the health of children and has made efforts to reduce violence, including the most common form of violence, physical fighting. For example, in the past decade, the Healthy People 2010 initiatives have included goals to reduce the prevalence of physical fighting among American adolescents.

There are two types of fights that an adolescent engages in, verbal and physical. Verbal fighting is defined as threatening, teasing, and other displays of nonphysical relational aggression. Physical fights have been defined by the National Youth Violence Prevention Resource Center as two or more teens who have chosen to use physical force to resolve a conflict or argument. Physical fighting has been considered a precursor for committing violence that results in a serious injury or worse, a fatality. Physical fighting ranges from a hit or slap to causing or sustaining an injury. This entry provides an overview of adolescent physical fighting, explores parental involvement and adolescent fighting, and discusses the implications of mentoring and adolescent physical fighting. For this entry, family is defined as adult caregiver and children. This definition goes beyond the traditional nuclear family of mother, father, and dependent children to include grandparents and other adults as caregivers (Katzmann, 2002).

Crime Prevention Efforts Involving Youth

For many youth, creating a profile on a social networking Web site like Facebook or MySpace is a right of passage. These pages often contain personal and intimate details, photographs, hobbies and interests, and even phone numbers, email addresses, and where they go to school. Many parents do not understand how to monitor the use of these sites and often cannot view the content ...