Youth violence is a major problem in the world today that must be continually researched and examined in order to reduce its harmful grasp. According to the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), violent acts were the second leading cause of death for young people in the United States in 2010 (Understanding Youth). Youth violence not only includes children that are victims of violent acts, but also those that commit acts of violence. The CDC also reports that in 2008, 16% of violent crimes were committed by juveniles (Youth Violence). The reach of youth violence in quite broad and include violence in schools, gang violence, bullying, and dating violence. Much research has been done to identify possible causes of youth violence. Contributing factors include previous abuse or exposure to violence in the home, unstable family atmospheres, drugs, disorganized communities, psychological disorders, and exposure to media violence. Of these causes, the one that gains a lot of public attention is violence in the media. Exposure to violence in the media is a contributing factor to youth violence, but the affects are underestimated by the public due to a lack of understanding of scientific research.
In recent years the effects of violence in the media on people has stirred significant debate among the general public and various professional communities such as the legal and scientific communities. Although a significant amount of research has been done on the topic and shows a significant correlation between media violence and aggression, the debate continues. One reason for this is the difficulty is showing causality due to methodological problems. Since children's media exposure is assumed to have affects over time, many years in fact, it is difficult to control for other factors such as family problems, drugs, previous aggression, etc. (Cantor, 4). Since it is impossible to perform an experiment to show causality due to the reasons previously mentioned, people often disregard convincing studies that show a significant correlational relationship.
In order to build a full picture of the affect of violent media on children, one must assess the different aspects of why violent media leads to youth violence. Kivel and Johnson say that "leisure has been identified as a central developmental context for...
Violence Against Children The structure of violence as related to children directly correlates to their perceived socio-demographic risk. Several factors directly relate to the likelihood that a child will be subjected to violence at some point during their lives. Social, economic, demographic and physical factors all have a dramatic impact a child's development, either positive or negative and these factors also influence whether or not a child is more or less
3. Structuring and enforcement process to respond to offenders, crime crews and/or gangs that includes various sanctions, i.e., pulling levers, to stop them from continuing their violent behavior. 4. Offering social services and specific resources to offenders to help them change their lives: Those who are open to the process are assisted in completing their education, finding employment, and providing for their basic human needs. 5. Communicating with the offenders to make
Violence in Video Games Unlike movies, video games are not regulated by the Federal Communication Commission (FCC), which is ironic because there are a wealth of studies indicating children do not distinguish between fantasy and reality in a gaming environment (Ferguson, 2011). Simply put, the more time children, adolescents and teenagers spend playing a video game the more they see their reality as the gaming environment (Boyle, McLeod, Rojas, 2008) (Hartmann,
Youth Gangs: The Role of the Family in the Formation and Prevention of Youth Gangs The issue of youth gangs is one of the most serious concerns facing administrators in the UK today. Numerous factors have been identified as increasing the risk of one getting lured into gang activity. The most prominent of these factors include poverty and deprivation, poor performance in school, drug and substance abuse, and crime-prone surroundings. While
Violence in the Community The objective of the research reported in this study is to examine violence in the communication and specifically violence in Philadelphia, PA 19403 and surrounding suburbs. The Metropolitan Philadelphia Indicators Project -- Youth: Suburban Children at Risk (2007) reports that it has been held traditionally that children who grow up in suburban areas or outside of the city "are shielded from the harsh social environments that many inner-city
Youth Crime in Canada Functionalism is one of the most longstanding and best used sociological theories in this field. Essentially, functionalism posits the notion that society operates somewhat like the human body, with a variety of necessary functions and measures to enable it to reach a state of stability. Functionalism views certain actions and trends within society as indicative of overall aspects of the norms and values which drive it. It
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