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Losing Generations: Adolescents In High-Risk Settings

NCJ Number
143861
Date Published
1993
Length
288 pages
Annotation
This report of the National Research Council's Panel on High-Risk Youth identifies factors in the settings in which many youths grow up that undermines their development into productive adults.
Abstract
The panel's attention to the settings in which youths develop reflects its belief that they are strongly influenced by the context in which behaviors, values, attitudes, skills, knowledge, and opportunities are forged. The panel concluded that four conditions create and sustain high-risk settings for youth. First, the large and increasing number of families who are living in or near poverty and experiencing the emotional stress it brings are ill-equipped to provide a stable and healthful setting for their children. A second factor is the concentration of poor families in some urban and rural neighborhoods and the increase in the numbers of intensely deprived neighborhoods. Third, the Nation's major service institutions and systems health, academic and vocational education, and employment and training are not meeting the needs of many young people. Fourth, the strong influence of racial and ethnic discrimination on employment, housing, and the criminal justice system limits the options of minorities and their ability to rear their children. Recommendations for positive change in the 1990's focus on support for families, the rebuilding and strengthening of low-income neighborhoods, health and mental health services, education, and the transition from school to work. Chapter references and a subject index