Dangerous Children In A Dangerous World
Juvenile violent crime rates increased 62% from 1988 to 1993,
and then declined by just 6% from 1993 through 1997, according
to the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention
(OJJDP). However, the rates for juvenile drug and curfew
violations, sex offenses, and simple assaults have continued to
increase. The greater the number of risk factors and the fewer
the resiliency factors the greater the risk that a youth will
commit a violent act. To prevent dangerousness in youth, we need
to understand the sources of the problem and intervene
appropriately.
Youth with histories of aggression often have families that
abuse or neglect them, expose them to domestic violence, exhibit
untreated psychiatric or substance abuse problems, or are
uninvolved in their children's lives. According to OJJDP,
children with more than five risk (community, family,
individual, school, and peer) and fewer than six protective
factors have an 80% chance of committing future violent acts.
If local community standards favor the use of drugs and
firearms, and if there is an acceptance of crime as a way of
life, the children of that neighborhood are more likely to use
violent means to accomplish their goals. According to
Prothrow-Stith (1993), by the time most children are grown, they
have seen 100,000 acts of violence on TV, in video games, and in
the movies. Many experts agree that media violence affects
children. Vulnerable children are more attracted to and affected
by media violence.
The families of violent children are often aggressive or
neglectful, with problem behaviors, weak family bonding, and
little warmth and nurturing, and family attitudes that favor
drug use and crime. Additionally, violent patterns of responding
can be learned in the same way we learn other standards of
behavior or language. Children learn what it means to be a woman
or a man and how adults behave through watching their parents
and other adults. If the adults in their lives solve problems in
a violent manner, that becomes the "norm" for expected behavior.
Seventy-nine percent of violent children have witnessed violence
between their parents. Violent children are four times more
likely to come from homes with parental violence.
Troubled teens often experience academic failure as early as
elementary school. As a result, they lack a commitment to school
because it holds no positive rewards for them. Many of these
children are learning disabled or have borderline or low IQs,
making success in a traditional school setting difficult, if not
impossible--especially if they do not receive needed services.
If their social, problem solving and anger management skills are
also poor, they may develop a pattern of fighting and bullying
other students. Others drop out of school. "Allowing one youth
to leave high school for a life of crime and drug abuse costs
society $1.7 to $2.3 million" (Snyder & Sickmund, 1999, p. 82).
Success and positive self-worth are universal needs. When
children fail to find these at home or in school, they seek out
other youths with similar problems and views. In this deviant
peer culture, they can become successful in their own eyes and
in the eyes of their peers. A deviant peer group often
reinforces antisocial behaviors and attitudes. Activities are
often based on power and control and can escalate into violence.
To take them away from that course, a new route to success must
be offered. These children find it difficult to relate to
"straight" kids--the peers who previously rejected them--who
think, feel, and act differently. Bridging that gap can be a
considerable task.
If you look at the reverse of the above risk factors, you will
find the conditions that have the potential to protect youths
from a violent lifestyle. It gives us hints as to where to
proceed with treatment. Children need constant, positive, and
nurturing caregivers that set rules, respect a child's
individuality and provide secure attachment in order to grow up
emotionally healthy. School success and having prosocial peers
can be a protective factor. Having a positive social orientation
is also helpful. Higher IQ and resilient temperament can help a
child heal from environmental insults and learn to cope more
effectively. When there are bonds to supportive prosocial
family, teachers, counselors, or other adults, kids have a
chance to make choices other than violence. Clearly stated
family and community rules and expectations and monitoring of
child behavior can be effective in helping children learn to
follow social norms. A child who has good social and problem
solving skills, moral maturity, and an ability to manage
emotions, particularly anger effectively, will have less
problems with violence. Children who are curious, enthusiastic,
and alert, set goals for themselves, have high self-esteem and
internal locus of control will be more resilient. Resiliency
factors include nurturing, stable caregiver with consistent, but
not harsh, disciplinary techniques, positive activities, school
success, and prosocial peers.
There is no one factor that predicts youth violence. It is the
combination of more risk factors and fewer resiliency factors
that can make the difference between a child that is dangerous
and one who is not. Understanding that, allows us to plan
interventions to help "at risk" youth.