School Violence & Race
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One of the most significant reasons for researching youth violence in school is to confront false ideas and misconceptions about youth violence. Myths can be dangerous because assuming a problem does not exist or failing to admit the real character of a problem can undermine the need for policy and intervention. Likewise, myths about youth violence can lead to heightened public fears that result in badly chosen and ill-advised policies. Such policies are a waste of limited public funding. One prevalent myth about youth violence is that ethnicity or race plays a significant role in perpetration and victimization statistics. However, according to a report of the Surgeon General on youth violence, “Data from confidential interviews with youths indicate that race and ethnicity have little bearing on the overall proportion of racial and ethnic groups that engage in nonfatal violent behavior” (Report, 2002, 1). While statistical evidence makes it clear and the Surgeon General report confirms it that there are racial and ethnic differences with respect to homicide, most case of school violence are nonfatal. According to the Center for the Study and Prevention of Violence (CSPV) “Recent school shootings are atypical of school violence” (Youth, 2002, 1). This analysis will now explore the link between youth violence in schools and race/ethnicity. According to data taken from the National Crime Victimization Survey, it is estimat
. . .
1997 37.6 42.8 25.5 18.8 4.3 7.1 9.6 13.7 12.0 11.1 22.4 19.3
(Percentage, 2002, 1)
Despite the lack of significant data with respect to race/ethnicity as a predictor of crime, the American mentality and law enforce policies often appear to target race/ethnicity as a predictor of crime. According to the Surgeon General, “Self-reports reveal small differences between African American and white youths. Arrest records, on the other hand, reveal large differences....The probability of being arrested for a violent offense varies with race/ethnicity” (Report, 2002, 1). In fact, much of the violence that occurs in schools is an exchange of violence based on race, gender, or sexual orientation. In a recent report, a Los Angeles County commission disclosed that hate crimes in schools jumped 15 percent in 1998, nearly “two-thirds of these crimes were committed at elementary, middle, and high schools” (Blair, 1999, 2). In other words, while it appears poverty and high crime neighborhoods predict violent behavior, race/ethnicity appear to make one more vulnerable to victimization because of race hostility and hatred. Many schools across the country have already implemented programs aimed at prohibiting students from targeting peopl
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Some common words found in the essay are:
African American, CSPV Males, American Hispanic, Behavior Survey, Race Introduction, Safety Centers, White Black, Hispanics Blacks, Angeles County, American Americas, school violence, youth violence, 2002 1, violent behavior, violence youth, african american, white black, violence school, violence schools, hill et al, hill et, et al 1999, report 2002 1, black white black, white black white,
Approximate Word count = 2470
Approximate Pages = 10 (250 words per page)
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