Violence in schools is hardly new to the United States, but growing news coverage and public concerns about the problem has marked recent years. Shocking reports of violent crimes committed by juveniles seem to have become common. Is the media to blame, for the violence juveniles commit in schools? Exploring how juvenile offenders have taken the brunt of crimes policies reaction to the high level and recent increase in school violence in the United States, may answer that question. I believe that media is not to blame, and that each individual is responsible for their own thoughts and actions. In order to show important aspects of the problem, we must answer the following questions: How has youth violence increased over the years in general and in schools? Juvenile crime and violence is a serious problem in America. It has been increasing at a faster rate than any crime committed by adults. For reasons that are not well understood, the United States has an extremely high level of juvenile violence (Howell 51).
About 2.3 million persons under the age of eighteen are arrested by law enforcement agencies in the United States each year according to the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention.
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Michael Merchant Class: Social Psychology Class, State, and Crime : Social Conflict Perspective How does Class, state ,and social controls within a capitalistic society lead to increase crime due to the criminal laws and criminal justice system imposed on the lower middle class. Social conflict theory is the only one out of the vast number of criminology theories that deals directly with this ...
There are far more murders, rapes, and robberies by young people than there was in the past (Sadler 18).
Do the movies, television shows, or even music make juveniles commit these crimes? The answer is NO! The media creates these types of things for our entertainment. The message that each individual receives from the media is different in all cases. Juveniles have the power to make their own decisions, and I do not believe that the media forces them or sends messages to follow what is being shown. What frightens a majority of the country the most, is the terrifying increase of homicides committed by the youth, which are the most violent crimes committed. Between the years of 1980 and 1994, there were more than 26,000 juvenile offenders, but in 1994, the number rose to just over 2,800. This number represents about twice the number of youth homicide offenders fifteen years earlier and about three times the number in 1984.
Although 88% of the offenders are between the ages of fifteen and seventeen, there was an increase of homicides committed by juveniles between the ages of twelve and fourteen (Sickmund, Snyder, and Poc Yamagata 22).
These age decreases of crime offenders are an even scarier thought. With all the violence that has happened within the high school age range, what more violence can happen for children who are in middle school, or even elementary school. These violent crimes committed by these youths are especially a growing problem in our schools. The level of violence and the use of firearms among school children are on the rise in the United States in both rural and urban areas (Lawrence 2).
Many people are affected when young people engage in violent behavior in schools.
The fear of victimization in schools grips many students and teachers. Violence among the youths is now a major problem in high school and even in many elementary schools. Many of the students carry weapons for self-protection, and teachers and students face a great risk of assault (Lawrence 3).
It is obvious that school violence is getting increasingly serious. Some children have fear of going to school because of recent tragedies such as that of the Columbine High School. Schools, which are supposed to be a place parents can take their children to be safe, is becoming a battlefield. Almost everyone in the United States watch the news reads a newspaper and is surprised by the violent acts committed by the youth in schools. One of the first questions that is asked is why? Most parents tend to blame the parents of the youth, but the parents are not always the ones to blame.
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... for children and youth, violence can be learned just as easily. Conclusion Juvenile violence should be taken seriously. Youth should not be committing such violent acts. ... 67 percent (Barbour, 1999). These crimes include school shootings, robbery, and other various violent acts. The violence has yet to cease. There continues ...
There are many different theories to explain why some juveniles commit acts of violence in schools, or elsewhere. The most controversial and most widely talked about causes are television, biological factors, and environmental factors. Since everyone has his or her own opinion on the issue of school violence, it makes it extremely difficult to decide which opinion is true. Juveniles have contributed to many of the crimes that are committed in the United States and in schools. Nowhere is the increase more evident that in the case of violent crimes. Through further research in youth violence, causes have been established, but controversy has made it difficult to actually prove any theories.
This is why the media should not be blamed for juveniles actions. Since the problem is becoming so serious, the process of finding the problem and decreasing it has become difficult. Youth violence in schools is a devastating crime in the United States with increasing rates; hopefully, the future will end juvenile violence. Howell, James C. Juvenile Justice and Youth Violence. Thousand Oaks: Sage Publications Inc.
1997. Lawrence, Richard. School Crime and Juvenile Justice. Oxford University Press. 1998. Sadler, A.E.
Juvenile Crime. San Diego: Greenhaven Press, Inc. 1997. Snyder, H.N., Sickmund, M., & Poc Yamagata, E. Juvenile Offenders and Victims: 1996 Update on Violence. Washington D.C: Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention. 1998.
