Peace by Piece: Protecting Our Children from Violence

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Peace by Piece Protecting Our Children from
Violence

• October 27, 2004
• Philadelphia Citizens for Children and Youth
• Deborah Prothrow-Stith, M.D.
• Harvard School of Public Health

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International Homicide Comparisons
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The Third Wave

• The first wave urban poor communities (mostly
  males)
• The second wave - suburban/rural/small town
  school violence
• The third wave girls and young women
• Maybe a fourth wave younger children and
  violence

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Risk Factors for Youth Violence

• Poverty and Income Inequality
• Access to Guns
• Alcohol and Other Drug Use
• Witnessing Violence and Victimization
• Biologic/Organic Abnormalities
• Culture of Violence

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individual
family
community
society
world
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Increases in Arrests

• Arrest rates for overall crime and violent crime
  are significantly lower for young women than
  young men, but the gap is narrowing
• 1981-1995, 129 increase in violent crime arrest
  rate for young women (Stone)
• 1981-1995, 56 increase for young men (Stone)
• Girls now account for 25 of juvenile arrests for
  violent crime (USDOJ, 1998)
• More girls are entering the juvenile justice
  system and at younger ages (USDOJ, 1998)

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Risk Factors for Youth Violence

• Poverty and Income Inequality
• Access to Guns
• Alcohol and Other Drug Use
• Witnessing Violence and Victimization
• Biologic/Organic Abnormalities
• Culture of Violence

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What Has Changed?The Feminization of the
Superhero

• One new factor entertainment medias portrayal
  of women in violent roles
• Music videos, movies, magazines and videogames
• More instances of female violence being shown as
  admirable and problem solving.
• Trend in childrens programming for violent
  female characters.
• Women musicians glorify and justify violence.

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The Toxic Environment

• Similar to the assumption that violence would not
  become a problem for suburbs or small towns,
  many assume that girls are invulnerable to
  influence of violent female role models and would
  not commit horrible acts of violence.
• Until recently, girls and women were typically
  portrayed in media as victims of violence, not
  justified perpetrators of violent solutions.
• It is much more common now to see violent female
  characters KILL BILL

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Changes in the Ways Girls Respond to Victimization

• Traditionally, girls would respond to
  victimization and trauma with self-destructive or
  internalized behaviors running away,
  prostitution, drug use, suicide attempts, etc.
• In the past, victimized girls would hurt
  themselves
• It seems as if we have shifted the curve -
  violence has become more a part of the repertoire
  of options for girls to respond to the wrongs
  done to them

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Why are Girls and women more Violent?

• We have a Society where violence is admired,
  glamorized and most frequently portrayed as a
  powerful problem solver often to the exclusion
  of other methods

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Boston Violence Prevention MovementThe Number of
Children Under 17 Murdered with Guns and Violence
Prevention Program Examples by Start Date in
Boston 1986-1996
Violence Prevention Programs
Number of Homicides
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(1996) Strike Force
(1995) Cease Fire
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(1994)Community Policing in Boston
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(1994)Louis D. Brown Peace Curriculum
(1992) Ten Point Coalition
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(1992)WBZ-TV Stop the Violence Campaign
(1990) Citizens for Safety
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(1990) Teens Against Gang Violence
(1990) Mayors Safe Neighborhood Initiative
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(1989) Gang Peace
(1987) Violence Prevention Curriculum for
Adolescents Published for Distribution
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(1986) South Boston Boys and Girls Club - Friends
for Life Clubs and Violence Prevention Programs
(1985) WEATOC Teen Theatre Group adds Violence
Prevention to it Repertoire
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(1985) Friends for Life-PSA Campaign Ad Council
of Boston
(1982) Boston City Hospital Violence Prevention
Program
(1994) Adolescent Wellness Program
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1986
1987
1988
1989
1990
1991
1992
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1994
1995
1996
1997
1998
Year
Source Boston Police Department
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Ideal Relationship Between Public Health and
Criminal Justice in Preventing Violence
Primary Prevention
Secondary Prevention
Tertiary Prevention
Public Health
Degree of Discipline Involvement in Interventions
Education
Behavior Modification
Punishment
Criminal Justice
Type of Intervention
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Thank you

• Questions, Comments and Suggestions
• dprothro_at_hsph.harvard.edu