BIPARTISAN WORKING GROUP ON YOUTH

VIOLENCE

FINAL REPORT

TABLE OF CONTENTS

I. OFFICIAL DOCUMENTS

II. EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

III. PARENTS AND FAMILIES

IV. LAW ENFORCEMENT

V. SCHOOLS

VI. CHARITABLE AND COMMUNITY ACTIVITIES

VII. MEDIA AND POPULAR CULTURE

VIII. HEALTH
November 17, 1999

The Honorable J. Dennis Hastert The Honorable Richard Gephardt

Speaker Minority Leader

U.S. House of Representatives U.S. House of Representatives

H232 Capitol H204 Capitol

Washington, D.C. 20515 Washington, D.C. 20515

Dear Speaker Hastert and Minority Leader Gephardt:

We are writing to inform you that the Bipartisan Working Group on Youth Violence has

completed its work on a report regarding the prevalence of youth violence in America, the

factors that contribute to this problem, and possible solutions that members of both parties can

embrace. Attached is a copy for your review.

During the fall, the 24 members of the Working Group have reviewed studies on the

problem of youth violence and heard testimony from expert witnesses from academia, law

enforcement, the judicial system, and advocacy groups. Although the work was timeconsuming, most of us believe it was an effort that was both personally and professionally

rewarding.

The issue of youth violence presents numerous complex social and economic problems.

Although statistics reveal that the prevalence of youth violence has been declining in recent

years, it remains a critically important issue that must be addressed. Fortunately, there are

common themes that run through the most successful programs to reduce youth violence. The

experts who met with the Working Group agreed that early intervention and prevention efforts

that require the close participation of parents and communities are essential to reducing youth

violence. As the attached report reveals, encouraging more of these programs will be an

effective and efficient use of resources.

There are many issues, such as gangs, family violence, and the impact of sports figures

and other cultural influences, that deserve to be explored in greater detail. Given the timeline

under which we had to operate, however, we believe our findings present a solid overview of the

causes of youth violence and how Congress may work with state and local governments,

educators, community leaders, and families to improve the lives of our youth. That said, there

are many members of the Working Group who would like to extend its mission into the second

session of the 106th Congress.
The Honorable J. Dennis Hastert

The Honorable Richard Gephardt

November 17, 1999

Page Two

Thank you for your leadership in establishing this important effort. We both believe it

was a worthwhile and rewarding endeavor, and we look forward to your comments on our report.

Best regards,

Martin Frost Jennifer Dunn

Member of Congress Member of Congress
BI-PARTISAN WORKING GROUP ON YOUTH VIOLENCE

PURPOSE

The working group is established to identify causes and to advance through consensus (a

majority of Republicans and a majority of Democrats) solutions to fight the rise of youth

violence in our nation today.

RESEARCH

Each of six teams, with two Republicans and two Democrats per team, will prepare a one-hour

presentation to the entire group during the first six weekly meetings. In preparation, Members

will work at an individual and group level to conduct in-depth research. During August,

Members are encouraged to hold at least one roundtable, townhall, or meeting in their districts to

gather ideas.

MEETINGS

Members will meet once a week, from 8am-9am Wednesdays in H-137. Any Member proposal

or idea will be submitted to Reps. Dunn and Frost by the day before the meeting.

RECOMMENDATIONS

Presentations by all teams will be completed by October 20, 1999, so that the full working group

can discuss and vote on ideas by October 27. Approved ideas requiring legislation or other

action by Congress will be sent to the Speaker and the Minority Leader.

The working group will complete its work by submitting a final document highlighting proposals

that have been completed and items requiring further action to the Speaker and the Minority

Leader at the adjournment of the Congressional Session.

PRESS

No statement or press conference will be released or held on behalf of the Working Group

without the participation and input of the Co-Chairs.

TEAMS

1. Parents and Families (Kelly, Etheridge, McKeon, Stupak) September 15

! Strong family relationships

! Single parent families

! Welfare dependency

! Parental responsibility

! Peer Influences

! Mentoring Programs

! Child Care

! Role Models: Parents, family friends

2. Law enforcement systems (cops, judges, parole and probation officers – from police to

penalties) (Barr, Delahunt, Dunn, Scott) September 22

! Teaching youths responsibility and consequences

! Evaluating the justice system

! School security

3. Schools (Mink, Wilson, Roemer, Biggert) September 29
! One-on-one teaching

! Stronger bonds within the school

! 1-800 hotline numbers

! Smaller schools

! Counseling

! Reduced class size

! Safe and Drug Free Schools reauthorization

! Expanded before and after school programs to avoid “latchkey” kids

! Teacher training

! Crisis response plan involving entire community

! Quality of education in Rural vs. Urban areas

! Role models: teachers, advisors

4. Community (Souder, Cramer, Tancredo, Menendez) October 6

! what programs currently exist focusing effectively on youth

! faith-based organizations, non-profits, think tanks, etc.

5. Popular culture, media influences (Frost, Greenwood, Hinojosa, Wamp) October 13

! Teaching youths the difference between life and the movies

! The Internet

! Ratings

! Character education

! Sports figures

6. Health (treatment issues, mental health, substance abuse) (Jackson-Lee, Portman,

Roukema, Levin) October 20

! the role of good physical health and education

! Low self-esteem

! Access to mental health services, including the involvement of parents and guardians

! Helping students fight depression

! Suicide

! Drugs

August 6, 1999
Members of the Bi-Partisan Working Group on Youth Violence

Republicans: Democrats:

Jennifer Dunn, Chair Martin Frost, Co-Chair

Zach Wamp, Vice-Chair Robert Menendez, Vice-Chair

Heather Wilson Bud Cramer

Jim Greenwood William Delahunt

Mark Souder Sander Levin

Sue Kelly Bobby Scott

Marge Roukema Bart Stupak

Judy Biggert Bob Etheridge

Buck McKeon Rubén Hinojosa

Bob Barr Patsy Mink

Tom Tancredo Tim Roemer

Rob Portman Sheila Jackson-Lee
II. EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

INTRODUCTION

The Bipartisan Working Group on Youth Violence was formed on June 25, 1999, by the

Speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives, Rep. J. Dennis Hastert, and the House Minority

Leader, Rep. Richard Gephardt. It was tasked with identifying causes and advancing consensus

solutions to fight the rise of youth violence in our nation today. The original mandate by the

Speaker of the House and the Minority Leader gave the Working Group until the end of the first

session of the 106th Congress to complete this work. The Working Group held its organizational

meeting on August 4th and has met every Wednesday morning since September 15th.

Understanding that time was short, the Working Group split into six subgroups of four

members each, two Republicans and two Democrats, to thoroughly explore specific issues

thought to affect youth violence. The six subgroups are parents and families, law enforcement,

school safety, community programs, popular culture and the media, and health. Each subgroup

was to study its area in depth and report findings back to the full group through a one-hour

presentation.

The goal of each subgroup was to work in a bipartisan manner to find problems and

solutions to youth violence in each of the issues in their area of responsibility. Subgroups were

encouraged to meet on their own time to hear testimony from witnesses who are experts in the

field that the subgroup was charged with studying. These witnesses, and the information they

provided, often were called upon to provide the foundation for the presentation to the full

Working Group.

By providing a forum for members to meet on a bipartisan and informal basis, we believe

the Working Group has been able to identify many consensus areas for action on youth violence.

This project is a labor of love for both the Members and the experts who provided information

and analysis, often traveling many miles at their own expense.

Because the time was compressed, the Working Group believes that the House

Leadership should consider extending the deadline to complete a final report and allow Members

to probe in greater depth the broad area of youth violence in our nation. The shortness of time

did not allow for complete consideration of the full range of information and resources available.

The Working Group has provided recommendations that will begin to ameliorate the problem of

youth violence. Nevertheless, there is much more work to be done. We believe this was a

positive work experience and the right way to approach this serious issue. Functioning as a

team, we have learned and researched together, discovering common themes and areas where

Congress can provide leadership.

DEBUNKING MYTHS
One of the most important tasks of the Working Group has been to review issues

surrounding youth violence in a bipartisan and dispassionate manner. There are many

misconceptions about the prevalence of youth violence in our society and it is important to peel

back the veneer of hot-tempered discourse that often surrounds the issue. One of the most

common myths that must be debunked immediately is that youth violence is increasing across

the nation. The U.S. Department of Justice reports that the juvenile homicide arrest rate has

dropped steadily and dramatically since 1993. This, of course, mirrors the reduction in violent

crime seen in all age groups and indicates that trends in youth violence, while unique in certain

respects, are not always distinguishable from society at large. In fact, according to one expert

that appeared before the Working Group, Dr. Laurence Steinberg, violent crimes attributable to

youth are lower today than they were 25 years ago.

Another common misconception is that schools are becoming an increasingly violent

place and do not provide a sanctuary for learning. This misconception is largely driven by the

attention that the mass media rightly gave a recent spate of school tragedies in Colorado,

Arkansas, Oregon, and Kentucky. While it is important to carefully review the circumstances

surrounding these horrifying incidents so that we may learn from them, we must also be cautious

about inappropriately creating a cloud of fear over every student in every classroom across the

country. In the case of youth violence, it is important to note that, statistically speaking, schools

are among the safest places for children to be.

CONGRESSIONAL RESPONSIBILITY

So if the problem does not seem to be as big as we perceive it to be, why is it important to

continue to tirelessly search for solutions to youth violence? There are two reasons. First, there

is almost always a pattern to youth violence that involves a child graduating to more serious

offenses. Every expert who came before us to testify on the complex issues surrounding youth

violence pointed out that, if caught early enough, young people can be spared a life of crime and

innocent people will never become victims. Second, simply because a serious problem is on the

decline, it is not reason to abandon efforts to further reduce it. The salvation of one child and the

sparing of one innocent victim is enough to validate a sustained and serious effort to combat

youth violence.

Recognizing that there is a problem, reviewing objective analysis to determine the extent

of the problem, and resolving to do something about it is only the first phase. The second, and

much more complex, phase is deciding what are the most probable causes of youth violence.

Thirdly, we must determine what, within its scope of responsibility for state and local affairs,

Congress can do to ameliorate the problem. Listening to what various experts believe the causes

of youth violence are, and discussing what the congressional role is in combating them, has been

the focus of the Working Group’s efforts.

CONCLUSION

The Working Group met on six different occasions to hear testimony from experts on a

wide variety of issues thought to contribute to or reduce youth violence. Despite the range of

issues, there were several recurring themes that spanned the breadth of the discussion and

connected many of the issues together.
• Prevention and early intervention programs are essential to reducing youth violence.

Overall, the need for prevention and early intervention programs at every step is

paramount. Since the most important contributing factor to youth violence is the absence of a

nurturing and supportive home environment, we know that youth can be steered away from

crime. Exposure to violence in the home and the lack of a strong role model, however, will deny

youth access to a moral education. Without a strong moral foundation, the lessons of hostility as

a means of problem solving and an inability to equate actions with consequences will foster

criminal behavior. Building strong relationships between children and their parents and

communities is the best way to ensure their health and well-being.

• Parents and communities must take an active and positive role in the lives of children.

Parents are the best teachers a child can have. There is no true substitute for the active

involvement of the parent since nobody can be as personally invested in a child. But, additional

support can be found through the efforts of community- or faith-based organizations, educators,

and law enforcement officials. These efforts are essential to identifying, educating, and

mentoring at-risk youth who may lack an ideal support structure at home. To be truly successful,

however, these efforts must be coordinated so that each aspect of the community is working to

respond to each youth’s unique needs.

• At-risk youth need access to childhood health programs and mental health services.

Ensuring the physical and psychological health of all children has proven to be an

effective way to increase educational aptitude and increase social skills. Early childhood

programs have provided many children with the care and education they need to enter school

ready to learn. In addition, mental health services should be provided to help youth work

through problems such as depression and aggression.

• The juvenile justice system should treat children individually and with the objective of

rehabilitation.

Despite the best efforts of families, concerned citizens, educators, and government

agencies, we cannot fully prevent youth violence. Instead, our goal should be ensuring that we

work collaboratively to address the needs of at-risk children before they commit crimes, while

striking an appropriate balance between individualized sanctions and treatment once they enter

the juvenile justice system. This means that once a youth enters the juvenile justice system, the

judges must have access to the social, educational, and criminal history of the youth so that

appropriate sanctions and/or treatment may be implemented. In addition, there should be mental

health screenings and counseling available in the event that it is a necessary component of

rehabilitation.

• Information sharing between educators, law enforcement, social services agencies, and

judges is essential to addressing the unique needs of a particular youth.
There is a lack of collaboration between many different agencies and individuals with

responsibility for monitoring at-risk youth. This is not necessarily due to an unwillingness to

cooperate, but rather technological and legal barriers that prevent the sharing of information.

States and local governments should be encouraged to work through these barriers so that at-risk

youth may receive more individualized care.

• Schools provide a venue and an opportunity to identify young people who are potentially

at risk.

As previously stated, youth violence is on the decline. More specifically, schools are

safer places for children relative to other locations in the community. The perception that

schools are unsafe, however, can cause an uneasiness and anxiety among children. As a result,

we can take positive steps to further reduce youth violence in schools and assure students that the

classroom is a safe place to be. Schools provide a tremendous opportunity to interact with our

youth and positively contribute to their personal development. It is an opportunity that must not

be missed. Community outreach to show that schools are safe, stable learning environments

should be an important part of the effort to make them a haven for our youth.

• Congress should only fund programs of demonstrated effectiveness, and such programs

should be evaluated on an ongoing basis as a condition of continued funding.

Researchers have developed an increasing body of knowledge as to which programs are

effective in reducing youth violence and which are not. Congress should ensure that federal

support is directed toward programs that work, and should require ongoing evaluation as a

condition of continued support. It is also important that Congress encourage continued research

to enable local partnerships to identify and replicate successful programs.

The following report provides a more thorough discussion of the six areas reviewed by

the subgroups. In each section, these themes can be found in the examples cited by various

experts, and in the recommendations made by the Working Group.
III. Parents and Families

The Working Group tasked this subgroup with examining the following factors involving

the impact of parents and families on the problem of youth violence: strong family relationships;

single parent families; welfare dependency; parental responsibility; peer influences; mentoring

programs; child care; role models: parents, family, friends.

The subgroup submitted its presentation to the full Bipartisan Working Group on Youth

Violence on September 15, 1999. The meeting featured expert testimony from Dr. Laurence

Steinberg, Professor of Psychology at Temple University and a nationally recognized authority

on the issues of adolescence and youth violence. Below are consensus items which the Members

of the subgroup recommend the full Bipartisan Working Group accept.

Strong family relationships. Although there is no single cause for youth violence, the

most common factor is family dysfunction. Domestic violence and conflict/tension within the

family are often associated with troubled youth. Abuse, neglect and hostility are prevalent in

cases of youth violence. Exposure to violence leads to acceptance of violence as a means to

solve problems. Research demonstrates that this develops into the cycle of violence.

The importance of strong family relationships to the healthy growth and

development cannot be overstated. In fact, the Members of the subgroup strongly support

issuing a clear statement that no one will ever have a more important responsibility than the

responsibility to raise their children in a healthy, secure, nurturing environment. Likewise, the

public sector, the private sector and the non-profit community all have a responsibility to help

parents obtain the skills and resources they need to meet those obligations.

The Members of the subgroup recommend that the federal government should

launch a national public health campaign to raise awareness of the importance of raising

healthy children and the key role of parenting in this effort. The Working Group should

strongly endorse this recommendation. Congress should enlist the Surgeon General, and

other public health officials as well as the non-profit and private sectors to support this

campaign.

Single parent families. The subgroup identified no direct, causal link between single

parent families and youth violence. However, the lack of parenting skills and knowledge of

child development was identified as a serious risk factor for unhealthy youth development.

The subgroup supports the teaching of such parenting skills that formerly were

taught in such classes as Home Economics, life sciences/skills, and personal health. We

should also use public health agencies like WIC, pre-natal care clinics, and visiting nurses to

reach out to mothers in need to help them gain the knowledge they need to raise healthy children.

We need to teach parents how to parent. And we need to help all children in the pre-school

years. Although ambitious efforts such as Head Start, Even Start and CHIPs exist, we need to

address the gaps in education and health care that fail to reach children’s needs.
Welfare Dependency. Although welfare itself was not a central focus of the panel’s

work, Dr. Steinberg stated clearly that poverty is the number one cause of negative parenting.

Economic stress raises all other risk factors.

The subgroup should state clearly and concisely its finding that a strong national

economy is essential to our progress on the challenge of youth violence. In these times of

economic prosperity, we too easily forget that social problems like youth violence are

exacerbated dramatically during times of economic hardship. We should use this opportunity to

reaffirm our commitment to a national economic policy of providing every family in America the

opportunity to succeed economically through hard work.

Parental Responsibility. (see above.) The latchkey factor is not necessarily indicative

of a child with a propensity toward violence. Rather, negative parenting is the biggest factor.

Statistics indicate that the prevalence of parental disengagement is 25-30 percent and one-quarter

of American adolescents are not sure that their parents love them. Parental engagement is the

single most important factor in a child’s healthy development.

Character education that involves the parents can help children to develop a healthy sense

of self and self-worth. Schools can be a focal point to strengthen the relationship between

parents and children through such joint efforts as character education. Character education

integrated throughout the curriculum can help children develop and strengthen basic values such

as honesty, integrity, courage, respect for self and others, perseverance, kindness, etc. that will

help them to become good citizens as well as good students.

Peer Influences. With young people, peer relationships are a key factor because youths

tend to offend and take offense in groups. All efforts to reach young people must recognize this

central fact and work within the reality of the social structure of the youth culture.

Youth-run adjudication and remediation systems can be successful in encouraging youth

to take responsibility for their actions and to demand better from their peers.

Mentoring Programs. The single most important influence in the healthy development

of the child is positive interaction with adults. Mentors can play a key role especially for at-risk

youths whose family situations can contribute significantly to the propensity for violence.

Too often today, communities are disconnected from families. Many organizations –

such as Boy Scouts, Girl Scouts, Boys and Girls Clubs, boosters, etc. -- perform important

mentoring functions. The Working Group should endorse increased support for locally-based

mentoring efforts.

Child Care. The subgroup did not focus on the child care of pre-school children because

it was not identified as a risk factor beyond the above-stated importance of child services.

However, study after study have shown the hours of 3-6 PM each day is the key time for youth

trouble. Likewise, studies have shown conclusively that the two most dangerous school days of

the year are Prom Night and Graduation Day. In North Carolina, schools have utilized low
levels of federal funds to promote adult-supervised Lock-In for students to have an all-night,

alcohol- and drug-free event. The results in safety improvement are dramatic.

The subgroup recommends increased support for initiatives that help families and

students coordinate the differing schedules of school and work. This could come in the form

of support for extended day schools. Studies have shown that teenagers need additional sleep to

function optimally. In some areas, high schools are experimenting with school days that start

and end later in the day.

Role Models. The absence of strong role models inhibits a child’s character growth. As

mentioned above, Big Brothers/Big Sisters and similar initiatives help at-risk youth develop

healthy relationships with adults necessary for healthy growth.

The Working Group should endorse stronger support for role model initiatives.

Other. Although some federal effort exists to coordinate information, such as the Office

of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention’s National Clearinghouse on Youth Violence,

there is a need to expand the effort to include parenting. An inter-agency clearinghouse could

better identify and disseminate information about the full range of related efforts. The relevant

House Committees should investigate the agencies’ current practices and encourage better

coordination of efforts.

RECOMMENDATIONS

• The importance of strong family relationships to the healthy growth and development

cannot be overstated.

• The Members of the subgroup recommend that the federal government should launch

a national public health campaign to raise awareness of the importance of raising

healthy children and the key role of parenting in this effort. The Working Group

should strongly endorse this recommendation.

• The subgroup supports the teaching of such parenting skills that formerly were taught

in such classes as Home Economics, life sciences/skills, and personal health.

• The Working Group should state clearly and concisely its finding that a strong

national economy is essential to our progress on the challenge of youth violence.

• Parental engagement is the single most important factor in a child’s healthy

development.

• The single most important influence in the healthy development of the child is

positive interaction with adults. Mentors can play a key role especially for at-risk

youths whose family situations can contribute significantly to the propensity for

violence.

• The subgroup recommends increased support for initiatives that help families and

students coordinate the differing schedules of school and work.

ADDITIONAL VIEWS
While Congressman Etheridge strongly supports the bipartisan effort that has produced

these consensus items, he feels strongly that the bottom line is commitment. We must engage in

making a national commitment to address the problem of youth violence. Congressman Stupak

specified that we need a commitment for an entire generation. Congressman McKeon stressed

that the problem was not created overnight and it will not be fixed overnight.
IV. Law Enforcement

The Law Enforcement Working Subgroup was asked to develop recommendations

regarding the role of law enforcement agencies and officials (including police, prosecutors,

judges, parole and probation officers and corrections officials) in reducing youth violence in

America.

The subgroup convened a round table discussion on September 15, 1999 to solicit the

views of a wide range of outside experts (listed on Appendix A). The presentations revealed a

number of recurring themes which the subgroup believes represent substantial consensus within

the law enforcement community on the causes and prevention of youth violence, and which

provided a foundation for the subgroups recommendations.

Law enforcement officials are uniquely positioned to take a leadership role in forging

relationships with parents, educators, community- and faith-based organizations, and social

service agencies. These types of efforts can help identify at-risk youth, educate them on the

seriousness of criminal activity, and prevent them from committing crimes, or graduating to

more serious criminal offenses.

The federal government can play an important role in support of these efforts. However,

it is important that federal funds be directed toward programs that get results, and that federallysupported programs be subject to rigorous evaluation.

Once a youth enters the juvenile justice system, it is important that he or she be provided

with meaningful contact that administers an appropriate balance between sanctions and

individualized services. This requires the removal of barriers that impede effective information

sharing among law enforcement, educators, social service agencies, and the juvenile justice

system.

Finally, law enforcement efforts must acknowledge the importance of the youth s family

in the juvenile justice system, and must enlist the full participation of parents or guardians if

interventions are going to be successful.

RECOMMENDATIONS

1. Law enforcement must take a leadership role in developing community

partnerships.

Law enforcement officials are often the first point of contact between troubled youth and the

community. This places them in a position to provide leadership and support to communitywide collaborative efforts to reduce youth violence.

Many youthful offenders have been found to suffer from multiple risk factors such as parental

abuse and neglect, poor nutrition, academic failure, low self-esteem, and unsupervised
discretionary time. To prevent their further involvement with the criminal justice system, law

enforcement agencies have a vital role to play in building partnerships that bring to bear the full

resources of the community on the needs of at-risk youth.

Such targeted, collaborative efforts have been shown to be effective in reducing youth violence

in the community. These efforts should include the training and deployment of school resource

officers, including medical and social work professionals, who are able to identify those at risk

and to intervene before they cause harm to themselves or others. Community partnerships can

also aid schools in promoting extracurricular activities that emphasize personal responsibility

and service to others.

The subgroup recommends that Congress provide incentives to encourage community-wide

efforts to combat youth crime.

2. Law enforcement agencies need to be able to collect and access up-to-date criminal

history information. This information should be made available to social service

agencies and educators (to the extent permitted by state confidentiality rules with

respect to juvenile records) and should be accessible across jurisdictional and

geographical boundaries.

Educators, prosecutors, judges, and law enforcement officers agree that access to juvenile

records and information must be improved. While issues of privacy must remain paramount,

lack of timely access to complete and accurate juvenile records frustrates law enforcement

efforts to reduce juvenile crime. This is also a problem for the courts. Judge Patricia West, a

juvenile court judge from Virginia, stated in her presentation that the lack of information

regarding prior criminal history makes it difficult for judges to make appropriate sentencing

determinations

Improving access to information will also assist prosecutors and other law enforcement officials

in combatting gang violence. The success of Boston s Operation Night Light was attributable in

large part to information sharing with other jurisdictions to track the movement of gang

members and prevent them from slipping through the cracks.

The subgroup recommends that Congress provide grant assistance to state and local

agencies, and regional consortia, for multi-jurisdictional case management and information

sharing efforts.

3. Effective solutions require the involvement of parents and families.

Law enforcement efforts that enlist the active involvement of parents and guardians are among

the most successful and cost-effective strategies for early intervention and prevention. Such

strategies include truancy and home visitation programs.

Research has shown that many juvenile delinquents begin their involvement with crime as

truants. Efforts to prevent and reduce truancy can be useful in identifying children at risk of

delinquency and crime and offer a cost-effective approach for reducing the incidence of youth
violence. The Brooklyn truancy program, T.R.A.C.K., has, as its central component, a

requirement that parents or guardians be contacted at the time a child is brought into the

program. Parents must pick up their children from truancy centers and return them to school,

and are counseled on their responsibility to monitor and support their child s academic

performance. The goal of T.R.A.C.K. is to make students responsible and parents accountable

for attendance in school and, therefore, to cut down on juvenile crime and protect public safety.

The benefits of this program during its first year were significant. In three of the precincts where

T.R.A.C.K. operated there was a 23.4% reduction in serious crimes (i.e. rape, robbery, assault

and larceny) where youth were victims.

Home visitation programs are another effective means of enlisting parental involvement in

reducing truancy and more serious delinquency by focusing on parenting skills and family health

needs. A 1997 report by the National Institute of Justice (Lawrence Sherman et al., Preventing

Crime: What Works, What Doesn t, What s Promising) found that home visits by nurses can

produce major reductions in child abuse, which is a risk factor for later delinquency. A RAND

study reported that home visits are more cost effective than prison in reducing crime.

The subgroup recommends that Congress provide support for early interventions that

enlist the active participation of parents and families, including truancy and home

visitation programs.

4. Law enforcement officials can play an important role within the schools by serving

as mentors and educators.

Another way in which law enforcement officials can prevent youth violence is by serving as

mentors, instructors, and resource officers in the schools. Through school-based programs, law

enforcement personnel can work in partnership with school administrators to identify at-risk

youth and offer them positive role models. They can help students to understand the justice

system and to appreciate the consequences of violence. In Bellevue, Washington, local law

enforcement, educators, and medical professionals have instituted a program called Cops and

Docs, the purpose of which is to help young people understand that violence has consequences

for the victim, the victim s family, and society as a whole.

The subgroup recommends that Congress continue to provide funds for school resource

officers and other programs that bring law enforcement personnel into the schools as

mentors and instructors.

5. Federal law enforcement dollars should go to crime prevention programs that work.

Researchers have developed an increasing body of knowledge as to which programs are effective

in reducing youth violence and which are not. Congress should ensure that federal support is

directed toward programs that work, and should require ongoing evaluation as a condition of

continued support. It is also important that Congress encourage continued research to enable

local partnerships to identify and replicate successful programs.

Additionally, Congress should provide funding for training and technical assistance to local law

enforcement agencies, including assistance in developing programs and accessing federal funds.
The subgroup recommends that Congress fund only programs of demonstrated

effectiveness, and that such programs be evaluated on an ongoing basis as a condition of

continued funding. The subgroup further recommends that Congress provide increased

funding for research and evaluation, and for technical assistance to local law enforcement

agencies in developing effective programs and obtaining federal support.

6. Prevention and early intervention programs provide a continuum of care that can

help prevent at-risk youth from graduating to violent criminal activity.

All available evidence indicates that a small minority of all young people commit the great

majority of violent crimes. A cost-effective prevention strategy is therefore one that targets

resources to at-risk youth and their families before these young people become involved in gang

activity and violent crime. Effective strategies include such elements as prenatal health care for

at-risk mothers, home visitation by nurses and preschool teachers, family therapy, parent

training, teaching of social competency skills, and afterschool programs that provide supervised

recreational and educational activities during the high crime hours from 3pm-6pm.

Such efforts must also involve the schools. Law enforcement officers can work with school

administrators to create a safer, more nurturing school environment, alternative educational

programs for students unable to function in the regular classroom, and supervised after-school

activities.

The subgroup recommends that Congress provide increased support for a range of

prevention and early intervention strategies targeted toward at-risk youth and their

families, including school-based and after-school programs.

7. Graduated sanctions and alternative sentencing (including restorative justice

programs and mental health and drug treatment) ensure juvenile accountability.

If society is to prevent recidivism, youthful offenders must be held accountable for their actions.

Unfortunately, their first encounter with the juvenile justice system often teaches them the

opposite lesson that the first felony is free. Both Edward J. Loughran, Executive Director of

the Council of Juvenile Correctional Administrators, and Juvenile Court Judge Patricia West

emphasized the importance of a meaningful contact or sanction each time a juvenile encounters

the system.

Where appropriate, the court should consider mental health and drug treatment programs as

alternatives to incarceration. Restorative justice" is another sentencing alternative, which

focuses on the moral duty of offenders to repair the harm they have caused. According to

Professor Lawrence Sherman, such programs have been shown to reduce repeat violence by 50

percent.

One program in Seattle, Washington, known as the Conference Committee Diversion Program of

King County Superior Court, assigns concerned citizens to interview the offender and his or her

parents and decide upon an accountability plan. The plan, put in the form of a legally binding
contract, may include community service, skill building classes, counseling, restitution, or fines.

When the youth signs, he or she agrees to fulfill the terms of the contract, or be remanded to

juvenile court. The program has had an enormous impact on young offenders, and 92%

successfully complete their contract.

The subgroup recommends that Congress make incentive grants to states to implement

graduated sanctions and alternative sentencing structures such as "restorative

justice" that ensure juvenile accountability. In addition, Congress should encourage the

establishment of programs for the treatment of young offenders who require mental health

or substance abuse services.

8. Post-adjudication programs help to stem recidivism.

Post-adjudication programs including supervised parole, probation, mentoring, community

reintegration and aftercare are important tools for stemming recidivism. Effective programs can

help juvenile offenders become reintegrated into society and teach them to be responsible

members of the community.

The subgroup recommends that Congress provide grants for post-adjudication aftercare

programs that reduce recidivism.

9. Resources should be targeted toward neighborhoods with the highest levels of youth

violence.

Juvenile violence can occur in every community, but it remains concentrated in major cities.

While political realities often require that federal law enforcement funds be distributed more

broadly, the most effective use of these funds is to target them on areas with high crime rates

(assuming these funds will be used in a cost-effective manner as previously described above).

Since this proposal would have consequences for state and local government funding, however,

it should be carefully considered.

The subgroup recommends that Congress further explore directing a greater proportion of

law enforcement assistance funding toward high crime areas.

APPENDIX A

OUTSIDE EXPERTS CONSULTED BY THE LAW ENFORCEMENT SUBGROUP

The following guest speakers participated in a roundtable discussion on September 15 with Reps.

Dunn, Scott, Barr and Delahunt. Their presentations and written materials were used by the Law

Enforcement Working Group in developing its findings and recommendations.

Steve Harris, Chief of Police, City of Redmond, Washington

Patricia L. West, Juvenile and Domestic Relations District Court, State of Virginia

* Dr. Lawrence Sherman, Criminologist/ Professor at University of Pennsylvania

Dr. Peter Sheras, Clinical Psychologist/ Professor at University of Virginia
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* Mike Powell, Officer, Marietta Police Department

David Whitfield, Principal, Paulding High School

* Charles J. (Joe) Hynes, the District Attorney for King's County (Brooklyn), New York

Ned Loughran, former director of the Massachusetts Department of Youth Services, currently

Executive Director of the Council of Juvenile Correctional Administrators

* Presenters at formal full Working Group Meeting, September 22, 1999.
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V. Schools

The Schools Working Subgroup convened a roundtable discussion on Sept. 29, 1999.

Ms. Betsy Goulet, Children’s Advisor to Illinois Attorney General Jim Ryan; Mr. John Porter,

Principal, T.C. Williams High School in Alexandria, Virginia; and Mr. Lynn Coleman, Assistant

to the Mayor of South Bend, Indiana joined the Subgroup in discussing the problem of violence

in schools and how to properly address it. We also held meetings in our districts and gathered

the most recently published research.

What emerged from this roundtable were some common themes. First, high quality early

childhood experiences are critical. Second, since children spend the majority of their time in

school, it is important that the federal government focus its resources and attention on in-school

programs. Third, a caring adult can make a difference. A teacher or mentor who takes an

interest in an at-risk child may be able to turn him or her around. Finally, the federal government

should help states and communities identify and implement successful violence prevention

programs.

All of us recognize that there is no easy solution to the problem of juvenile violence—

there is no magic wand that will make our schools safer. But we all agree that Congress can

contribute to help making our schools safer and our children more secure.

FINDINGS

A. Early childhood development is vital and probably the most important thing

that we can do to prevent school violence.

During the roundtable discussion, Ms. Goulet said that because children have set

behavior problems by age eight or nine, preschool experiences are vital and probably the most

important thing that we can do to prevent school violence. Programs targeting young children,

even infants and toddlers, could provide a way to reduce the likelihood of juvenile violence.

Research suggests that a child’s early years are critical in the development of the brain

because early brain development is an important component of mental, educational, and

intellectual achievement. Of all three to five-year-olds not in kindergarten, less than half are

enrolled in an early education program. Even worse, only 36 percent of children from families

with annual incomes below $15,000 are enrolled in an early education program. 

Evaluation of high quality early education programs demonstrate that, compared to

children with similar backgrounds who have not participated in early education programs,

children who participate in such programs:
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Perform better on reading and mathematics achievement tests

Are more likely to stay academically near their grade level and make

normal academic progress throughout elementary school

Are less likely to be held back a grade or require special education

services in elementary school

Show greater learning retention, initiative, creativity, and social competency

Are more enthusiastic about school and are more likely to have good attendance

records

Are less likely to participate in delinquent activities later in life

There are a number of federal programs, the largest of which is Head Start, that provide

comprehensive early childhood development, educational, health, nutritional, social and other

services to low-income preschool children and their families. These services are intended to

prepare children to enter kindergarten and to improve the conditions necessary for their success

in later school and life.

Head Start strongly emphasizes the involvement of families and the local community to

assure that programs are responsive to the unique needs of each community. In general, Head

Start operates a part-day program during the school year, although some local Head Start

programs coordinate with other programs to provide all-day care.

Since a child’s health and well-being play equally important roles in his or her education

a prenatal health focus is equally important. Healthy Start provides a variety of services to lowincome pregnant women, such as family planning counseling, pregnancy testing, prenatal care,

pediatric care for infants, and social services. Other services appropriate to a community’s needs

may include outreach, home visits, child care, transportation, dental care, nutrition counseling,

mental health, and substance abuse services.

Effective federal programs must be fully funded to achieve the largest impact on early

childhood development and, ultimately, youth violence. Studies have estimated that for every

dollar invested in quality early education, about seven dollars are saved in later costs.

Programs with proven track records in helping at-risk youth in the past should be studied

for their applicability to today’s at-risk youth. One notable example is the Perry Preschool

Program, conducted in Michigan in the 1960’s and designed as a high-quality, active-learning

preschool program for children born into poverty. Results indicate that as adults, those who had

participated in the program at age three or four experienced half as many criminal arrests, higher

income earnings and property wealth, and a greater commitment to marriage than did those who

were not participants in the program.

The Perry Preschool study attests to the significant long term social benefits that accrued

when low-income families were included in high quality preschool programs. Every effort
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should be made to determine if its success might be replicated through programs in other areas of

the country.

Recommendation:

Congress should increase funding for high quality, effective early childhood programs, evaluate

all federally-subsidized early childhood programs, and identify areas for improvement and areas

where innovative new ideas could be implemented.

 B. Although schools are still the safest places for children to be, additional actions

should be taken to improve school safety and security for the long term.

 Compared with other public situations, schools remain some of the safest places for young

people. In the most recent school year, 1997-98, 34 school-associated violent deaths of students

took place nationwide. Because these incidents are so rare, they are covered heavily by the

media, resulting in a perception that such violence is commonplace. The reality is young people

face greater dangers outside of the school, in their communities and when at home.

Although such school-related violence is rare, a risk does exist and schools should be a

safe place to be. According to the National Center for Education Statistics, 57% of public

schools reported at least one crime in the 1996-1997 school year; 10% reported at least one

serious violent crime.

Where violence at school once involved only fists, it now often includes a greater use of

violence. Although the chance of an incident of violence taking place at any one school is

remote, there is a risk. It is incumbent upon public officials to ensure that schools remain safe

places of learning.

The climate at a school—whether students feel safe, connected and supported so that they

can learn—is as important, and possibly more important, than the physical security of the school.

It may be possible to develop climate assessment tools for the use of schools and communities so

that they may identify areas for improvement and develop strategies to improve climate and

reduce the risk of both major and minor incidents of violence in schools. It may also be useful to

develop and make readily available security assessment tools that schools may use for selfassessment.

Furthermore, during his presentation, Mr. Porter said students need to feel safe about

reporting possible incidences of school violence. Anonymous hotlines and websites have helped

many schools across the country to provide this anonymity for the students and to notify the

administration of problems. Schools have found great success through partnerships with local

law enforcement officials. Agencies that designate school resource officers can offer a crucial

link between police and educators. These links should be encouraged.

Mr. Porter also emphasized the need for smaller schools to reduce youth violence. Based

on studies of secondary school violence, researchers have concluded that an important step in
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ending school violence is to break through the impersonal atmosphere of larger secondary

schools and create smaller communities of learning within larger structures. Behavioral

problems, including truancy, classroom disruption, vandalism, aggressive behavior, theft,

substance abuse, and gang participation are greater in larger schools. Teachers in smaller

schools learn of disagreements between students and can resolve problems before problems

become severe.

School size also plays a very important role in shaping the kinds of social relationships

that form within schools. Smaller schools and learning communities reduce the isolation that

causes violence and allow students to form closer relationships with their teachers and create a

sense of ownership and belonging to their school. Young people who feel more connected to

their school are less likely to be involved in violence.

Research also demonstrates that students attending smaller schools are more likely to

participate in extracurricular activities, and studies show that students who participate in

extracurricular activities are less likely to engage in violent acts. At smaller schools, the students

are also involved in a greater variety of activities, while at larger schools students tend to be

polarized into two groups: those who participate in extracurricular activities and those who do

not.

Smaller schools, schools-within-schools, and smaller learning communities are some

ways to create a climate where students feel safe, connected and supported in their schools.

And finally, every school should develop a comprehensive safety plan, including methods of

detection and intervention. While each must tailor its plan to its own needs, model plans from

other schools and districts can be helpful.

Recommendations:

Congress should establish a “School Security Technology Center” as a resource to local

educational agencies for school security assessments, security technology development,

technology availability and implementation, and technical assistance relating to improving

school security.

Congress should make funds available to State and Local Education Agencies to develop smaller

schools, schools-within-schools, and/or smaller learning communities in order to create a

climate where students feel safe, connected and supported.

Congress should allow grants received under the Safe and Drug-Free Schools and Communities

Act to be used to establish and maintain school violence hotlines and websites.

C. Often one adult can make a difference by taking an interest in a child and

nurturing him or her. This might be a teacher, an administrator, a counselor, or

others.
26

Students with behavior disorders account for a majority of problems encountered in

schools today. Additional resource staff in our schools, such as counselors, school

psychologists, and social workers are needed, not only to help identify these troubled youth, but

to work on developmental skill building.

There is no real infrastructure of support for our kids when it comes to mental health

services in our schools and no national models for how best to structure school community

mental health programs. Currently, there are only 90,000 school counselors for approximately

41.4 million students in our public schools—roughly 1 counselor for every 513 students. In

California, there is only one counselor for more than 1,000 students. That is simply not enough.

As Mr. Porter stated during his presentation, current school counselors are unable to address

students’ mental heath needs since they are responsible for such large numbers of students.

Instead, their role is relegated to administrative, scheduling, and career counseling.

Additional resource staff is needed to address specifically the personal, family, peer level,

emotional, and developmental needs of students. By focusing on these mental health needs,

these staff members will pick up early warning signs of troubled youth and improve student

interaction and school safety.

The resource staff can also provide consultation with teachers and parents about student

learning, behavior and emotional problems. They can develop and implement prevention

programs, deal with substance abuse, set up peer mediation, and enhance problem-solving skills

in schools. In short, resource staff can provide important support services to students, parents,

and teachers.

There are a number of different ways to enhance the availability of emotional support and

mental health services in schools. Schools can partner with community-based mental health

organizations or enhance staff training by providing more opportunities at school for the

development of informal adult-child mentoring relationships. We expect that there are a number

of models that may vary in effectiveness at different schools and age levels. The federal

government should initially support the development of research-based models for school mental

health programs that could then be built upon.

Furthermore, schools and communities should incorporate programs that encourage

parents to become involved in their child’s education. Improving parenting skills through

federally-funded programs like WIC, TANF, Food Stamps, Medicaid, public health clinics, teen

parenting, child welfare, juvenile delinquency and homeless programs may be an effective way

to reduce juvenile violence in the long term.

Finally, teacher quality has been shown to have a profound impact on the success of a

child. Because teachers are on the front line, there is a great need to help them understand how

to identify and intervene in the life of a troubled child. Studies indicate that by the school year

2008-2009, we will need an additional two million teachers in our schools. We can ensure that

we have quality teachers in the future by creating incentives for educators to continue teaching
27

and by encouraging people to begin teaching after careers in other professions through such

programs which help mid-career professionals become teachers.

Recommendations:

Congress should provide grants to States and local educational agencies to recruit, train, and

hire school-based resource staff, such as school counselors, school psychologists, and social

workers.

Congress should authorize the Department of Health and Human Services to work with schools

and the mental health community in developing models that enhance the availability of mental

health services in schools.

Congress should encourage local educational agencies to implement professional development

activities designed to assist teachers in identifying and assisting at-risk youth.

Congress should authorize the Departments of Health and Human Services and Education to

develop a public awareness campaign aimed toward parental involvement in schools.

D. Through increased research and outreach efforts, the federal government

should help states and communities learn which violence prevention programs are

likely to succeed and help make them a reality.

Parents, working with school officials and community members, can become the most

effective deterrent to youth violence. According to the National Crime Prevention Council, the

crime rate can decrease by as much as 30 percent when a violence prevention initiative is

implemented with community-wide support.

Children need safe places to be and constructive things to do from 3 to 6 p.m. while many

parents are still at work. Experts estimate that almost five million school-age children spend

time without adult supervision during a typical week and that these children are more likely to

engage in risky behavior such as drug and alcohol abuse, sexual activity, loitering on street

corners, and truancy.

Many parents report that they would like to enroll their children in after-school

enrichment activities, but they are prevented from doing so by prohibitive costs, transportation

difficulties, and worries about neighborhood safety. Although there are many outstanding

programs for the nation’s youth, they are not available in all areas. Congress needs to take steps

to ensure that every child has access to a high quality after-school activity.

In addition, school curriculum must include a constant theme of ethical values. Strong

themes of good character, including honesty, citizenship, courage, justice, respect, personal

responsibility, and trustworthiness, must permeate through the instruction of our children.
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Finally, the Working Group found that just one caring adult in a child’s life can make a

difference. Again, mentoring programs, such as Big Brothers/Big Sisters and intergenerational

programs, should be promoted. Partnerships between schools and these initiatives should also be

emphasized.

Recommendation:

Congress should, 1) provide grants to improve the quality and availability of after-school

programs; 2) establish a national clearinghouse to provide technical assistance regarding the

establishment and operation of after-school programs and models of after-school programs such

as the collaboration with the Big Brothers/Big Sisters program in South Bend, Indiana; and 3)

authorize a GAO report containing information on how to improve the quality and availability of

after-school programs.

Congress should authorize block grant funding to establish partnerships between State and local

agencies for character education programs that incorporate elements of good character

including honesty, citizenship, courage, justice, respect, personal responsibility, and

trustworthiness.

Congress should instruct the Secretary of Education to enter into a contract with the National

Academy of Sciences for the purposes of conducting a study regarding the antecedents of school

violence in urban, suburban, and rural schools.

CONCLUSION

Perhaps the best way to summarize our views is to quote Ron Stephens, director of the

National School Safety Center. He said, “A safe school is a place where students can learn and

teachers can teach in a welcoming environment, free of intimidation and fear. It is a setting

where the educational climate fosters a spirit of acceptance and care for every child, where

behavior expectations are clearly communicated, consistently enforced and fairly applied.

Unlimited options and potential exist for safe school planning. It requires only the ability to get

started.”

Early childhood development, effective school safety programs, increased adult

interactions, and supporting and strengthening effective federal programs all have their important

place addressing the problem of juvenile violence. However, they are only a piece of the puzzle.

The members of this subgroup feel there are other areas, outside the jurisdiction of this subgroup,

which will play a vital part in addressing the problem of youth violence.

ADDITIONAL VIEWS

Submitted by Mrs. Wilson

Early Childhood Education and Development
29

This report over emphasizes Head Start and Healthy Start as programmatic solutions while

not mentioning a host of other federal programs that impact early childhood development.

The most recent research clearly indicates that Head Start--which targets 4 and 5 year olds--

doesn’t start early enough. While it is an important federal program, there is no evidence that

Healthy Start or pre-natal programs reduce juvenile violence.

There is, however, a growing body of research that says high quality early childhood

experiences that are developmentally appropriate have a positive social impact on children later

in life. There is some evidence that Head Start in some regions has not had the positive impacts

generated by other early childhood programs. In addition, the focus on Head Start overlooks

other federally funded child care support programs associated with TANF, food stamps and other

education and training programs that collectively impact more children than Head Start in most

States. In many cases, this federally subsidized care supports low quality or even harmful early

development or child care programs.

The Congress should evaluate all of the federally funded early childhood education and

development programs, including but not limited to Head Start, to improve quality, afford

ability, and accessibility.

Mental Health in the Schools

The report over emphasizes the importance of guidance counselors and increasing “resource

staff” in schools without any evidence that this is the best way to improve mental health in the

schools. There are many models for providing mental health service to children that involve the

schools, but few of them rely solely on school “resource staff.”

An appropriate federal role would be to develop research based models for school mental

health programs which schools nationwide might then draw upon to fit their unique

circumstances. We should resist the one-size-fits-all answer that “more guidance counselors”

seems to offer.
30

ADDITIONAL RESOURCES

Dunn, Martin J. “Critical Elements in School Security.” 1999 School Security.

Ellerman, Chris. June, 1996. “The Government and Religious Charities: A Vision for

Partnership.”

Fight Crime: Invest in Kids Illinois. Resource guide.

Generations Together. September, 1995. “Senior Citizen School Volunteer Program: Report on 

Cumulative Data for 1988-1995.”

Generations United. Resource guide.

Goulet, Betsy. “Safe to Learn.” Office of the Illinois Attorney General.

HRI + Pfeiffer: The Health Research Institute and Pfeiffer Treatment Center. Resource guide.

Illinois Center for Violence Prevention. Resource guide

.

Illinois Violence Prevention Authority. Resource guide.

Oak Park Township Youth Services. Resource guides.

Overview: Juvenile Courts in Illinois. Illinois Department of Corrections.

“The First ‘R’: Reflective Capacities.” August, 1999. Association for Supervision and

Curriculum Development.

Wiseman, Bruce. “Psychiatry and the Creation of Senseless Violence.” Citizens Commission on Human Rights 

Kalonsky, Michael. “Small Schools: The Numbers Tell a Story.” 1996. University of Illinois at Chicago.

Cotton, Kathleen. “School Size, School Climate, & Student Performance.” September 1997. Northwest Reg

Cotton, Kathleen. “Effective and Social Benefits of Small Scale Schooling.” Clearing House on Rural Educatio

Lashway, Larry. “School Size: Is Small Better?” Research Roundup. Winter 1998-1999.

National Association of Elementary Schools Principals.

Latarola, Patrice. “Effects of Size of Student Body on School Costs.” Education, States, &

Nations.

Newsweek special edition, “From Birth to Three,” Spring/Summer 1997
31

Bailey, Robert. “Youth Violence and Mental Health” Presentation at the University of New

Mexico School of Medicine. August 18, 1999.

Smith, Laura. “Behavioral and Emotional Characteristics of Children in the Bernalillo County Juvenile Detent

Perry, Bruce. “The Effects of Traumatic Events on Children: Materials for Parents,” Department

of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences. Baylor School of Medicine. 1994.

“Brain Facts” www.iamyourchild.org
32

VI. CHARITABLE AND COMMUNITY INITIATIVES

The Charitable and Community Initiatives Subgroup convened a round table discussion

on September 28th. The Subgroup made its presentation to the full Working Group on October

6th. Mr. Howard Davidson, Director, American Bar Association Center on Children and the

Law; Dr. Brian Flynn, Director of Program Development, Substance Abuse and Mental Health

Services Administration, HHS; Dr. David Murray, Research Director, Statistical Assessment

Services (STATS); Mr. Pat Nolan, President, Justice Fellowship; Ms. Miriam A. Rollin, Director

of Public Policy, National Network for Youth; and Mr. Mark Soler, President, Youth Law Center

joined the Subgroup in the presentation.

The presenters raised various issues at the round table discussion. These issues included

encouraging partnerships of families, charitable, community, and faith-based organizations, and

schools; promoting interagency collaboration at the federal level to effectively reduce

duplication of efforts and pool available resources; making resources available to faith-based

organizations; supporting the National Center for Neighborhood Enterprise; and encouraging

national service for youth.

As our communities struggle to deal with the dramatic rise in youth violence, the search

for some effective ways to prevent this scourge on our children has become a national priority.

Keeping this in mind, we should not be hasty in trying to find quick solutions to such a complex

problem. We agree with those who call for changes to occur, but there are numerous factors that

need to be considered involving this matter, from school safety programs, to encouraging more

active community involvement, to a culture that seems to perpetuate the popularity of violence.

RECOMMENDATIONS

1. Charitable and community initiatives should foster family relationships.

The evidence for programs that focus on family relationships and functioning is quite

strong and consistent. The most successful family interventions involve programs with multiple

components that address not only the individual at risk but the internal dynamics of the family

and the family’s involvement in the neighborhood, school, and with their children’s peer groups.

Because of this, charitable and community-based organizations should focus their efforts

on strengthening marriages, and maintaining and rebuilding families. This should include

counseling, family management, and parenting skills programs. Congress should also include

initiatives to help promote responsible fatherhood.

2. Charitable and community initiatives should build competencies among youth,

particularly focusing on problem-solving, moral reasoning, decision making, self-control,

job and academic skills.
33

In general, individual-level approaches that modify or enhance personal and social

competencies like problem-solving skills, moral reasoning, decision making skills, self-control,

and academic or job-related skills are effective if they are high quality, well implemented

programs.

3. Charitable and community initiatives should promote parental supervision and/or access

to after-school programs during the peak hours for youth crime of 3:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m.

Too often, children return after school to an empty home or to the streets. An estimated 5

to 7 million "latchkey" children go home alone after school. Children who are unsupervised

during the after-school hours are more likely to engage in delinquent and other high-risk

behaviors, such as alcohol and drugs. After-school programs can provide safe, drug-free,

supervised, and cost-effective havens for children.

Demand for after-school initiatives is high. Quality after-school programs can provide

adult supervision of children during after-school hours, and they can provide children with

healthy alternatives to/insulation from risk-taking and delinquent behavior. After school

programs also provide a prime opportunity to increase learning because the environment can

motivate and inspire learning outside of the regular school day.

Examples of quality after-school programs include tutoring and supplementing

instruction in basic skills like arithmetic, reading, and science; drug and violence prevention

curricula and counseling; youth leadership activities; volunteer and community service

opportunities; college awareness and preparation; homework assistance centers; courses and

enrichment in the arts and culture; computer instruction; abstinence education; and employment

preparation and training, among others. After-school programs should use community resources

effectively by establishing partnerships or developed networks to give children even more

options for after-school learning enrichment and recreation. Law enforcement officials can be

strong community partners, serving as role models and mentors in programs.

Because of this, we agree with the nation's police chiefs that after-school programs for

youngsters are a more effective way to fight crime. Recently, George Mason University

conducted a survey in the aftermath of the massacre at Columbine High School, which showed

that nearly nine of 10 police chiefs believe expanding after-school programs and providing

educational child-care programs such as Head Start would greatly reduce youth crime and

violence. The survey was sponsored by "Fight Crime: Invest in Kids" which has lobbied for

more funding for after-school programs and other community-based efforts that help identify

troubled children before they have problems with the law.

We agree with many of the law enforcement and academic community that the best kind

of intervention programs are character education programs, law-related education classes,

counseling geared toward conflict resolution, staff development for teachers in identifying and

dealing with troubled youth, peer helper programs, home visitor programs for at risk families,

and required programs for parents and children who commit major offenses in school.
34

In some cases, the problem is with the schools themselves; in that some schools close

immediately after the end of classes. We need to encourage all schools to stay open late and to

offer after-school opportunities such as sports, band, etc.

Recently, ABC News' 20/20 ran a story about schools in Texas and New York which

requires its teachers, parents and students to sign a pledge committing themselves to the

education of the child – 24 hours a day. We endorse this proposal and encourage all schools to

adopt this fresh approach to education.

Quality after-school programs have strong leaders, skilled and qualified staff, and

effective managers. Also, families of children in the program are informed of their child’ s

activities and given opportunities to volunteer in their child’s program. Programs set goals and

use well-planned, continuous evaluations to judge themselves.

Since there is no "one-size-fits-all" youth violence prevention after-school program, each

community needs to have a variety of youth initiatives to address their children’s particular

needs.

4. Charitable and community initiatives should assist youth and adults who have regular

contact with youth in identifying troubled and potentially violent juveniles.

When elementary school children display disruptive behavior, it is a warning signal that it

is time to start looking for the causes of the problem, and to provide the proven social skills

training, counseling, and other help for the children and their families that can lead them back to

healthier path.

Knowing what "risk factors" often contribute to youth violence is helpful in looking for

warning signs. Research suggests that by exposing children to certain risk factors, communities

create an environment conducive to violence, regardless of whether they are urban or rural, white

or black, rich or poor. Among the 19 identified risk factors are exposure to violence in the

media, easy availability of drugs and alcohol, community attitudes favorable to deviant behavior,

family conflict and family management problems. While exposure to any or all of the factors

does not mean a child will necessarily turn to violence, their presence increases the likelihood.

Being abused or neglected multiplies the risk that a child will grow up to be a violent teen

or adult. In fact, children who experience violence – either directly or indirectly through

witnessing violence – are 50% more likely to be arrested as juveniles and 40% more likely to be

arrested as adults.

With almost three million American children reported as abused or neglected in 1995, we

need to make sure that child protective services staff have sufficient resources to identify and

treat abused and neglected children. We also must act before children are hurt by expanding the

programs proven to reduce cases of abuse and neglect.
35

Making criminal justice funds available to prevent child abuse recognizes that preventing

child abuse prevents crime. According to a 1992 Justice Department report, 60% of youths

arrested had a prior history of abuse and neglect. The study also indicated that childhood abuse

increased the odds of future delinquency and adult criminality overall by 40%.

The evaluations of successful child abuse prevention efforts have shown us that

prevention works. Moreover, community-based programs supporting families can be

implemented to prevent child abuse for far less dollars than it costs now to treat and manage the

far-reaching consequences of child abuse and maltreatment.

Other successful endeavors include anonymous hotlines, which give students, parents,

and teachers the opportunity to report threats of violence in their schools, and mentoring

initiatives. Both of these initiatives are tremendous resources that students, parents and teachers

can use to help ensure our schools are safe.

5. Charitable and community initiatives should increase recruitment of youth in community

service and promote volunteerism.

Fifty-nine percent of youth ages 12 to 17 volunteered in 1995. These 13.3 million

volunteers gave an estimated 3.5 hours a week. Youth volunteers reported that volunteering is

important because it gives them a new perspective, allows them to do something for a cause that

is important, and is an activity people respect. Youth say that through volunteer activities that

they learn how to solve community problems and understand more about good citizenship.

Young people must be taught the skills they need to succeed. And they must be provided

meaningful, challenging opportunities to contribute to their families, schools, churches, peers,

and communities. This involvement helps them to feel responsible and significant and can also

improve the situations of the families, schools, peers and communities. Third, young people

should receive recognition for their efforts. Recognition rewards and motivates positive

performance.

Therefore, effective youth violence prevention strategies provide opportunities for a

relationship with a caring, responsible adult (parent or otherwise), together with opportunities for

youth skill development, youth contributions to family, school, church, peers, and community,

and positive recognition to youth.

These elements are incorporated in many successful youth violence prevention programs

including: mentoring, recreation, counseling (individual, family, and group), employment and

training, youth entrepreneurship, community service, tutoring, life skills (budgeting, consumer

education, parenting, etc.), substance abuse prevention and treatment, and mental health

treatment.

Again, there is no "one-size-fits-all" youth violence prevention solution. Each community

needs to have an array of youth programs to address the variety of youth in their community. It is
36

important to remember that every community starts with a base of existing programs that differs

from other communities, and programs that work in one community might not work in another.

6. Charitable and community-based organizations should improve the coordination of

prevention and intervention programs.

Finally, we believe that charitable and community-based organizations should better

manage their resources to help serve as many troubled youth as possible. We encourage

inter-agency collaboration on youth violence initiatives to reduce duplication of efforts and pool

resources.

We also believe that Congress should encourage a collaboration between federal agencies

to establish a clearinghouse with a website listing all charitable and community-based

organizations across the country. This will hopefully give local communities some examples of

successful programs and better access to existing resources.

Federal initiatives should include linking preventative mental health activities with other

violence prevention efforts; taking a school-based approach; engaging the entire community;

including treatment services for children with more severe problems; and paying only for what

has been demonstrated to work. The goals of a youth violence prevention program would

facilitate community collaboration and assessment of risk for violence; develop and implement

evidence-based programs or strategy for youth violence prevention; and evaluate the initiative or

strategy.

OTHER VIEWS

The following statement is submitted by an individual member and does not represent a

consensus of the Subgroup. However, we feel they are worthy of consideration by the full

Bipartisan Working Group.

Congressman Tom Tancredo

The tragic events surrounding the shooting at Columbine High School have sent shock

waves throughout many communities and the nation as a whole. Many of my constituents are

rightfully concerned and have expressed their outrage at these actions and the need to address the

problems which led to this violent assault by and on the youth of our community. At a time such

as this, it is important to hear from people back in our districts for guidance and ideas for

solutions that will ensure nothing like this tragedy occurs again. It is for this reason that earlier

this year, I established a Juvenile Justice Advisory Committee back in my district comprising of

experts from every field to help me in this endeavor.

The shooting at Columbine High School in Littleton, Colorado on April 20th has left all

of us heartbroken. It seems that there is no escape from the violence we are confronted with, and

this event is a horrible reminder that no community is immune from the violence that has spread
37

across our country. It has changed our lives forever. But the question remains, what can

Congress do to stop this from happening again? It is easy to blame one particular factor for the

cause of the shootings, or look for a single remedy. Unfortunately, there is no one solution to

this problem. In some circumstances, there are no answers. The reasons for this incident are not

superficial, but instead rooted in the fabric of modern society.

Personally, I believe that an aspect that the Working Group should have focused on when

addressing the lack of parental supervision between 3:00 p.m. and 6:00 p.m. is that tax rates are

too high, thus requiring both parents to work. We should focus on providing fundamental tax

relief thus dramatically reducing the 40% tax burden currently placed on American families. By

doing this, one parent would be able to stay at home to raise their children. Congress may also

want to enact flex-time legislation, which will allow parents to spend time with their children

instead of accepting overtime pay.

Finally, an overarching problem is that charitable and community-based organizations

(including faith-based organizations) do not have the financial resources to carry out their

missions. Therefore, I urge the government to provide for charitable choice in eligibility for

Federal grants and provide tax incentives too charitable and community organizations.

While nothing Congress can do could ever alleviate the pain of the senseless acts carried

out at Columbine High School and other areas around the country, we need to make sure that this

never happens again. Communities should never have to face the horror of burying their

children who were just beginning to spread their wings as young adults. We will do all in our

power to see that these events come to an end.
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VII. Media and Popular Culture

The information age is accelerating the pace by which our individual and collective

imaginations can be externalized in the forms of written word and graphic imagery, sent around

the world at the speed of light. Parents and other adults responsible for the development of

children should be vigilant about protecting them from exposure to inappropriate programming.

Children can, and should, be taught age appropriate media literacy. The V-Chip, voluntary

labeling systems, and FCC regulation of broadcast content have shown promise. Ultimately

though, our children cannot be insulated from all violent imagery in the media. Instead they

must be educated and nurtured in ways intended to protect them from its influence.

Media leaders should be asked to produce and distribute information that helps parents

guide their children and understand the difference between drama and reality. Congress should

consider incentives that encourage schools to present media literacy instruction and develop a

character based curriculum at all grade levels. Congress can also fund the development and

distribution of age-appropriate curricula and teaching aids. Video game producers should be

encouraged to produce “trailers” that would proceed violent games with messages reminding

users that violence in the real world has serious and lasting consequences.

Trustworthiness, respect, responsibility, fairness and compassion are not controversial

ideas. Parents should work together with their schools and their communities to teach young

people about the importance of good character. Congress should encourage our schools to make

character education a part of the curriculum. Everyone in the community, from teachers, youth

leaders, and professional athletes to business leaders and clergy, has a responsibility to impart to

our young people how important it is to have good character.

The Motion Picture Association has offered to help create videos and other instructional

materials that could be used to teach basic values that are shared by all religions as well as

secular philosophy. We ought to accept this offer.

With the explosion of the number of television channels, Americans now have an almost

unlimited menu of specialized programming. There are fishing channels, shopping channels,

home repair channels, old movie channels, science fiction channels, news channels, music

channels, weather channels, and even channels devoted to the actions of Congress.

But there are no parenting channels. Arguably the information most important and precious to

society cannot be found on TV. Parents desperate to understand how best to respond to the

needs of their newborns, infants, toddlers, pre-schoolers, adolescents and teenagers cannot find

much help on the television. They should be able to. Congress should encourage the creation a

parenting television channel.
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Finally, Congress should encourage its own Members to get out the word about the tools that

already exist to help parents. The GetNetWise site (www.getnetwise.org) contains a list of sites

that are inappropriate for children. It also lists the various software programs that parents can

use to block sites that they do not want their children to view. Members should link to this page

from their official website.

Members should also help educate parents about the existing rating systems for video games and

television. All of the industry associations have helpful booklets that explain how parents can

use the V-Chip to help parents screen out programs with certain TV ratings. Members may also

want to meet with various representatives of the entertainment industry to learn more about

ratings systems and how to communicate that information to constituents. This information

should be made available in Spanish and other languages.

NBC has begun airing a PSA campaign that focuses on the connection between youth violence

and intolerance. Members may want to get a copy of the PSA to show at a town hall meeting.

This campaign will also include an Internet site for parents to keep abreast of the issue.

Ultimately, parents are the front line in trying to protect our children from violent images. But

Congress can play a role in encouraging our schools and communities to help educate parents

about the resources that are available.
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VIII. HEALTH

The Mental Health Working Subgroup’s objective is to determine the extent to which

mental health problems have led to incidences of youth violence and to offer ways to address the

problem. On October 27, 1999, the Mental Health Working Subgroup led a discussion within

the full Working Group on the issue of mental health and youth violence. Distinguished guest

speakers were William Pollack, Ph.D., Co-Director of the Center for Men at McLean Hospital

and Assistant Clinical Professor of Psychology at Harvard University sponsored by

Representatives Marge Roukema and Rob Portman, Walter Shervington, M.D., President of the

National Medical Association and CEO of the New Orleans Adolescent Hospital sponsored by

Representative Sheila Jackson-Lee, and John Reid, Ph.D., Executive Director and Research

Scientist at the Oregon Social Learning Center in Eugene, Oregon sponsored by Representative

Sander Levin.

FINDINGS

Underlying depression and mental pain are at the heart of a significant percentage of

violent acts committed by youth. Studies in Britain, that are now under way in the United States,

demonstrate that bullies in the school yard have the highest depression rates in their grades.

Youth violence is not confined to violence among peers (gang violence, school shootings,

etc.), but also occurs in the form of suicide. The rates of suicide have risen dramatically in

recent years. Scientific research has shown that almost all people who kill themselves have a

diagnosable mental or substance abuse disorder; and the majority has more than one disorder.

Suicide is the third leading cause of death during adolescence and the second leading

cause in young adults. 29% of high achieving high school students have considered suicide. For

adolescents aged 15 to 19 years of age, suicide rates have tripled in the years between 1960 and

1980. Each year, almost 5,000 young people, ages 15 to 24, commit suicide.

Suicide rates among young people of color have also risen in recent years. In the African

American community, suicide rates have increased dramatically. Between 1980 and 1995, 3,030

black youths aged 10 to 19 committed suicide.

Society stigmatizes mental health problems. As such, significant cultural and ethnic

barriers inhibit the widespread use of mental health services available to children and youth. The

understanding of cultural/ethnic barriers and removing stigmatization is crucial to providing

services.

Seven percent of children born on any given day will commit 70 percent of the violent

crimes between ages 12 and 17. It is imperative that we recognize high risk factors and engage

in early prevention. For example, pre-natal care is a significant factor in the health of the child,
41

and a mother who is healthy while she is pregnant will most likely have a physically and

mentally healthy child.

There is a clear connection between substance abuse and school violence. Although

youth may not be “high” when committing acts of violence, studies show that those who are

engaged in harmful behavior, i.e. substance abuse, are more prone to future acts of violence than

their peers.

RECOMMENDATIONS

Drs. Pollack, Reid and Shervington made recommendations for preventing youth violence

that are appropriate, pragmatic, scientifically based, and cost efficient.

• We must broaden our definition of youth violence. Youth violence should include emotional

pain, loneliness, depression, suicide and the general disconnection from society that are the

root causes of violence. Society must realize that emotional pain and these other factors do

not recognize socioeconomic status, gender, or family life.

• Ensuring good physical and psychological health for expecting parents is the best way to

deter harmful behavior in their children. This could mean having a public health care

professional visit the expecting family to monitor pre-natal health care and teach parenting

and childcare skills beyond infancy.

• The judiciary, the police, schools, families, and the communities must coordinate their

delivery of services. Each entity should deliver the necessary services in order to provide

comprehensive emotional support for children and youth. Existing model programs that

coordinate among these agencies should be replicated in each State.

• The juvenile justice system should provide mental health screenings by qualified mental

health professionals for each youth entering the system. According to a 1994 Department of

Justice study, 73 percent of these juveniles reported mental health problems and 57 percent

reported past treatment. Any youth found to have a mental health disorder must be provided

care. Probation officials should oversee and coordinate with the youth's family the

continuation of the youth's mental health services while on probation.

• Communities should work to remove the societal stigmatization of mental health problems.

Parents and communities should publicize that troubled children and youth can be helped

with effective mental health studies in the community and school.

• Students should be encouraged to participate in extra-curricular school activities. Studies

have shown that a student in one after school activity is almost 50 times less likely to commit

a violent crime.
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• Early education, intervention, and prevention are key. We need to understand which children

are classified as high risk and act early. Pre-natal and post-natal care is vital to the child’s

mental health.

• Parents need more educational programs to help them understand the problems today’s youth

face. Parents need to understand their children’s reactions and learn how to communicate

with their children daily. Parents need to learn to identify trouble signs of emotional pain.

These educational programs should reflect the psychological differences between boys and

girls.

• School systems should have professionals who are appropriately trained in mental health on

staff. These professionals may include, but are not limited to, guidance counselors, school

nurses, social workers, psychologists, and psychiatrists. No better investment can be made

for safe schools than pre-empting violence by recognizing and treating depression, teasing,

discontent, and confusion before they erupt into harm. In addition, qualified personnel can

inform teachers and administrators on recognizing the warning signs of a troubled child or

youth.

• Student run groups must be created to work in cooperation with police, schools, parents, and

communities to create support groups for students. Anti-violence and empowerment groups

have been demonstrated to work.

• Families of a child that commits an initial violent act should have access to parenting classes.

Parents need to realize that when a child commits a violent act he/she is acting from some

sort of inner pain or turmoil and must seek to determine the cause and rectify the problem.

• Schools are the epicenter of a child’s life. Children spend such a large portion of their time

at schools so they should be a place where comprehensive emotional services are available.

This does not mean that it is the school administration’s responsibility to provide such

comprehensive services, but rather they should be a coordinator for such services. If students

are emotionally healthy, they will be able to achieve academically. It is in the schools’ best

interest to have the family support the student.
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• By decreasing substance abuse among children and youth, we can reduce the likelihood of

school violence. Effective prevention, intervention, education and treatment, particularly

school-based and community-based approaches, are keys. A more effective Safe & DrugFree Schools program should be an essential component of the long-term solution to youth

violence concerns. Local anti-drug coalitions play a key role in mobilizing all sectors of a

community to address the substance abuse problems that contribute to youth violence.

• Congress should strengthen the role of organizations such as Boys and Girls Clubs that create

mentoring relationships between adults and children.

CONCLUSION

Early attention to prevention, intervention, education, and treatment of mental health

problems in children and youth are the essential elements to reduce youth violence. Involvement

by parents, teachers and the community at large is critical in recognizing risk factors and

preventing those risk factors before it’s too late. Communities should work to remove the

stigmatization that is associated with mental health problems. The federal government should

provide incentives to state and local governments to publicize available mental health services

for children and youth. Congress should implement and make accessible comprehensive mental

health services for all children and youth.
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APPENDIX B

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Cornell, D. G. (1999) What works in youth violence prevention. Charlottesville, VA:

Curry School of Education, University of Virginia. (Available at

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Cornell, D. G. (1999) Child and adolescent homicide. In Vincent B. Van Hasselt &

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Snyder, H. N., & Sickmond, M. (1995). Juvenile offenders and victims: A national

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