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Issue Brief

Youth Violence Prevention - Overview

Goal Statement   one sentence that further defines the topic 

• To eliminate the occurrence of violence among the youth and prevent violence from continuing into adulthood.

Local/State/National Information    additional information on this topic at the local, state, national, global level

• Youth Violence Prevention - USA 
• Youth Violence Prevention - Kansas 

Policy Options / Model Programs   specific policies or program models, grouped by type, that are profiled 

•  Violence Intervention Programs   
• Operation CeaseFire - Chicago, IL

Types of Youth Violence Prevention Programs

• Empowerment:
• Empowerment programs are programs that focus on building a child’s self-efficacy. By enhancing their self-efficacy, children have a better sense of control of their surroundings and therefore are more likely to believe that they can change it. Also, empowerment programs foster self-esteem, thereby decreasing the likelihood that a child will resort to violence as a problem-solving strategy.
• Life Skills:
• Violence prevention programs based on life skills training offer nonviolent options to hopeless youth. Participants in these programs learn the necessary skills needed to gain independence. They are taught how to go about finding a job, writing a resume, performing well in an interview, and saving money after they do acquire a job. The idea behind life-skills training is that it occupies the youth with prosocial activities rather than spending time participating in violence. Life skills programs also build social skills through training, modeling, and role-playing of prosocial behaviors. The inclusion of social skills training has been shown to have positive effects on the internal locus of control of juvenile offenders and has been associated with reduced rates of recidivism among those in a detention facility (Cunliffe, 1992).
• Knowledge:
• Knowledge-based programs educate youth about the prevalence and effects of violence. By understanding how violence affects them, their families, their friends, and the community in general, the juveniles are more apt to gain sympathy for those who have been hurt due to unnecessary violence. By becoming familiar with the detriments of violence, the individual is more equipped to notice the problems associated with his or her behavior and is more likely to make long-lasting changes.
• Conflict Resolution and Problem Solving:
• Conflict resolution and problem solving training is a popular type of program used mostly in school settings.
• The aim of these programs is cognitive restructuring of how one approaches a problem. If the program is successful, the participant would learn to stop whenever he or she was feeling angry and would brainstorm about the best nonviolent solution to the problem.
• Although conflict resolution is a popular type of prevention programming it is not highly effective and, in fact, has been highly criticized.
• Corvo (1997) argues that violent behavior is unlike other types of health-related behavior and therefore participants in problem-solving programs do not show the same changes that are proven with other health or safety issues. That is to say that the problem with violence cannot be addressed in the same ways that subjects such as alcohol and drug abuse or sexual health are addressed.
• Also, standardized conflict resolution programs cannot respond to the myriad of needs associated with high-risk adolescents.
• Lastly, many conflict resolution programs overemphasize the role that cognitive and skill deficits play in the development of violence.
• In order to be truly effective a program needs to address the cognitive, motivational, and emotional issues behind the use of violence.
• Webster (1993) also argues against the use of conflict resolution programs in schools. He suggests that the popularity of conflict resolution programming is an unfortunate political reality.
• The use of conflict resolution is a quick solution for public and school officials because it is an easy program to implement and at face value, it appears as though they are trying to help, but in fact the complex problem of violence is misunderstood.
• While learning how to respond to conflict is an important skill in reducing violence, it is not a complete solution and should not be relied on as though it were (Webster, 1993).
• Despite the critics, some conflict resolution programs have been proven to show behavioral changes when used in conjunction with other programs and therefore this type of skills training should not be ignored (Johnson & Johnson, 1995).
• Counseling/Mentoring:
• Counseling programs look at the individual and the meaning behind his or her violent responses. Counseling programs specifically look at the triggers associated with an individual’s aggressive tendencies and try to correct the turmoil behind the anger. Counseling by itself is not highly effective, however coupling counseling with another type of prevention effort increases effectiveness.
• Cultural Sensitivity:
• Inner-city communities are home to a culturally diverse population. While cultural diversity brings many advantages to a community it also brings about violence due to lack of tolerance.
• Cultural-Sensitivity Training attempts to prevent this type of aggression by exposing people to different cultures. 
• Of all of the abovementioned program types, Cultural-Sensitivity Training may be the hardest to implement.
• When considering a cultural-sensitivity program it is important to incorporate all ethnic backgrounds that are represented.
• The violence-prevention efforts must be culturally relevant to all who are participating.
• Also, the staff members who are carrying out the training should be ethnically diverse themselves so that the students are able to identify with at least one person on staff.
• Lastly, any materials that are being used need to be culturally sensitive as well. If materials need to be translated, it should be checked for appropriateness. Due to the many factors that are needed to make this type of program successful it is important that anyone considering implementing this program be detail oriented in its organization.

• Violence Prevention Curriculum for Adolescents

• Model Program > Young Aspirations/Young Artists, Inc.

• Model Program > East Bay Public Safety Corridor (Oakland, CA) 
• Model Program > Comprehensive Homicide Initiative  (Richmond, CA)   

Glossary of Terms   key words or phrases that the layperson needs to know to understand this issue 

• Multi-Faceted Approach: The multi-faceted approach includes family, peer, media, and community components as well as a combination of specific program types. The belief is that adolescents who are strongly connected to their family, community, and school are at a lower risk for violence. Also, violence prevention that is addressed on many different levels is more likely to have a longer, meaningful effect on the individuals involved. Including different program types is also a must. No one prevention strategy is going to reach everyone and therefore different methods should be used so that everyone’s interests are being met. This is going to increase participation and the only way for programs to truly be effective is to keep youth involved and active in the process.
• Early Prevention: Early prevention programs begin by first grade or before and may be reinforced throughout the child’s education.
• Developmentally-Tailored Interventions: Programs that are structured to fit the child’s developmental stage. Developmentally-tailored programs are age-appropriate and the materials and ideas being presented concur with the age level of the participants.
• Personal and Social Competencies: Personal and social competencies are the necessary tools for interacting with society. These include basic skills for interacting with one another, including information about the effects of violence, anger-management training, social perspective taking, decision-making and social problem-solving skills, and resisting peer pressure.
• Interactive Techniques: Interactive techniques include group work, cooperative learning, discussions, and role play.
• Ethnic Identity/ Cultural Sensitivity: Ethnic and cultural sensitivity includes considering the materials used in youth violence programming that reflect the individuals involved, including using languages other than English when necessary, and photographs or pictures that are representative. In addition, mentors should reflect the participants and therefore an ethnically diverse population should generate an ethnically diverse staff.
• Staff Development and Teacher Training: Staff training includes ensuring instruction in using the interactive techniques associated with violence prevention, how to handle crisis situations such as when a juvenile brings a weapon, and developing a good rapport with young people.
• Positive Environment: Positive environment includes good discipline and contrl so whereby unpredictable situations are detected and dealt with before the situation escalates into a more serious problem. In addition, a good environment stresses cooperation rather than competition, focusing on group activities that foster good communication and social skills.
• Pro-Social Norms: Pro-social norms against violence, aggression, and bullying focus on how one should behave in place of delinquent behavior. These norms should be clear, specific, and should be applied to everyone equally. Consistency is crucial and consequences for negative behaviors should be enforced uniformly.
• Reinforcement: Reinforcement focuses on follow-up sessions to reinforce the anti-violence messages being conveyed. Violence prevention should be addressed across the lifespan in order to be truly effective.
• Conflict vs Violence: Conflict that includes a difference of opinion is a natural occurrence and should only be intervened upon when it is reaching a level of aggression that could potentially become a violent situation. 

Bibliography

• American Public Health Association. (2009, November 10). Building Public Health Infrastructure for Youth Violence Prevention. Retrieved March 01, 2013, from American Public Health Association: http://www.apha.org/advocacy/policy/policysearch/default.htm?id=1392
• Mikaelsen, B. (2001). Touching Spirit Bear. In B. Mikaelsen, Touching Spirit Bear. New York, NY: Harper Collins, Publishing Inc. .
• National Center for Injury Prevention and Control. (2012, October 08). Injury Prevention and Control. Retrieved March 01, 2013, from Centers for Disease Control and Prevention: http://www.cdc.gov/violenceprevention/youthviolence/index.html
• Reducing_Violence_Among_Youth_in_Urban_Areas_Hollowell-Fuentes.pdf 
• Where Peace Lives, Inc. (2013). Fostering Peace and Cultural Understanding Through Art and Media . Retrieved March 01, 2013, from Where Peace Lives: http://www.wherepeacelives.org/the-facts.html
• White House. (2013). Champions of Change: Youth Violence Prevention. Retrieved March 01, 2013, from The White House President Barack Obama: http://www.whitehouse.gov/champions/youth-violence-prevention