NCJ Number
136930
Journal
Journal of Adolescent Health Volume: 12 Issue: 8 Dated: (1991) Pages: 619-629
Date Published
1991
Length
11 pages
Annotation
While the national statistics on violence among young black males are sobering, the focus of researchers and public policy makers ought to be placed on the social contexts in which these young men grow up, on the quality of housing and education to which they have access, on the availability of firearms, and on opportunities for legitimate employment available to them.
Abstract
This paper considers three areas of consequence in preparing the way to exert greater societal control of violent behavior during the next decade. Developments in multiple disciplines -- criminology, sociology, psychology, psychiatry, pediatrics, education, and public health -- involved in gaining greater control over and understanding criminal behavior have been made, but there is a great need to promote interdisciplinary research. Public policy issues that bear strongly on the exploration of the social and physical context in which violence is expressed range from gun control to urban renewal and the elimination of racial bias in the human service and criminal justice systems. Finally, pilot and preparatory studies are being conducted, the purpose of which are to develop research protocols for a set of longitudinal and experimental studies, designed to advance knowledge of the biological, social, and developmental mechanisms that cause violent behavior. 4 tables and 10 references