End of the Line

VIOLENCE

ATTORNEY GENERAL
DANIEL E. LUNGREN'S POLICY COUNCIL ON
VIOLENCE PREVENTION

"In California, where we now have the distinction of being among the first states to report that gunshot wounds have become the leading cause of injury death, even surpassing automotive accidents, the need for action is obvious."

Dan Lungren
Attorney General
State of California
1992

In May of 1994, California Attorney General Daniel E. Lungren convened a 26-member Policy Council on Violence Prevention and charged the Council with "studying violence in California and recommending policies and strategies for reversing the pervasive culture of violence in our society." The Council's membership included several state department directors, a district attorney, police chiefs and other criminal justice representatives, a county superintendent of schools, community action program directors, family violence experts, members of the medical, education and youth-serving professions, a researcher, business leaders, a religious leader, a media specialist, a foundation director and Californians directly affected by violence.

THE ATTORNEY GENERAL'S CHARGE

Specifically, the Attorney General charged the Policy Council with:

Examining the underlying causes and social impact of violence on California communities.
Finding common ground for multidisciplinary and community wide responses to violence.
Making recommendations for preventing or reducing violence in California.

As a group, the Policy Council was purposely chosen for its diversity of professional and ethnic backgrounds, knowledge, and social and political viewpoints. Its members represented a microcosm of society, bringing together their collective experience and expertise, as well as their unique perspectives, to address the problem of violence and violence prevention.The Council was asked to develop recommendations that would involve partnerships between public health, the police, education, social services, religious and community action groups, and local businesses. Acknowledging that there is no one solution to the problem of violence, the Council was asked to approach its work by seeking common ground for preventing violence in California.

THE IMPACT OF VIOLENCE

VIOLENCE IN AMERICA
VIOLENCE AGAINST WOMEN
YOUTH AND VIOLENCE
INTERNATIONAL COMPARISONS OF HOMICIDE RATES
VIOLENCE AND SOCIAL DISRUPTION
ECONOMIC IMPACT OF VIOLENCE IN AMERICA
CONTRIBUTING FACTORS TO VIOLENCE
RECOMMENDATIONS BY COUNCIL

VIOLENCE IN AMERICA

America is, by far, the most violent country in the world when measured against comparable, industrialized nations. Violence is deeply rooted in our society and has become woven into the fabric of the American lifestyle. A culture of violence has emerged that invades our lives at every level, from our most intimate relationships at home to our schools and work environments. For many of us, violence has become an acceptable strategy for solving conflict, exerting power and control, obtaining possessions, and satisfying emotional desires. Moreover, violence has itself become entertainment, glamorized in the behavior of both real and fantasy heroes.

There is growing recognition that violence is not confined to specific groups or geographic areas, but directly or indirectly affects everyone. The conditions that underlie violent acts cut across all age, income, racial and ethnic groups, as evidenced by increasing reports of random acts of violence, hate crimes, kids killing kids, adults abusing children, and men assaulting women.

The extent of human suffering is captured by the scores of deaths and injuries resulting from violent acts committed throughout the United States. There has been a dramatic increase in deaths caused by violent acts during this century. The figures show that in 1900, the homicide rate was approximately 1 per 100,000 people. Although it varied over the intervening years, by 1990 the homicide rate had increased to over 10 per 100,000.

Each day, an average of 65 people die from and more than 6,000 people are physically injured by interpersonal violence in the United States. At these rates of death and injury, more than 215,000 people died and over 20 million more suffered nonfatal physical injuries from violence during the 1980s. The extent of murders by firearms in the United States is illustrated by a comparison of the total number of Americans killed during the Vietnam War (58,000+) with the total firearm murders in this country between 1989 and 1993 (70,918). It is clear that deaths by firearms have reached wartime proportions in this country. Violence and deadly force have had an extraordinary impact on the lives of Americans, causing great human suffering, social disruption and economic losses to the nation and California.

While the popular perception has long been that violence is most often perpetrated among strangers, violence has, in fact, in the past been more common among people who know each other. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), homicide victims and assailants have traditionally been more likely to be acquainted, have more often been of the same race, and have been predominantly male. Frequently, homicides have begun with arguments; more often than not, they have involved alcohol and firearms. In 1993, however, FBI statistics revealed that the face of violence is changing. For the first time, Americans were more likely to be killed by a stranger than by an acquaintance.

Despite the overall pervasiveness of violence, data indicate that some communities are experiencing violence to the point where they are under siege; certain groups are suffering from epidemic levels of violence. The data show that arrest rates for homicide, rape, robbery and aggravated assault in the United States peak among older adolescents and young adults. Homicide is the second leading cause of death for Americans ages 15 to 34 and the leading cause of death for African-Americans. Women are frequently the targets of physical and sexual assault by partners, spouses and acquaintances. Of the 5,328 women who died as a result of homicide in 1990, six out of 10 were murdered by someone they knew. And, all too often, children are the targets of abuse. In 1992, an estimated 1.9 million reports of child abuse and neglect were filed involving an estimated 2.9 million children. In the same year, almost 1,100 children are known to have died as a result of abuse and neglect, more than 1 death per 1,000 substantiated victims.

It is clear that the impact of violence has a multidimensional impact on families and communities. The most visible is the victimization of families who experience deaths and injuries to friends or family members. For those in lower-income neighborhoods, fear of personal violence to themselves or someone they know has become a major component of life.

Violence Against Women

National data show that in 1992, an estimated 4 million women were physically assaulted by male partners or cohabitants in the United States. A woman is physically abused in this country every nine seconds, and an estimated 1,871 women are forcibly raped each day. One study reported that the risk of rape for college women is 38 per 1,000. Older women are not exempt from this violence. National estimates for elderly female rape victims vary from 2 percent for women over 55 years to as high as 7 percent for women over 50 years.

Ron Rae, M.D., member of Physicians for a Violence-free Society, testified before the Council about the magnitude and frequency of domestic violence. According to his testimony, each year approximately 2,000 women abused by their partners will die from the abuse; about 28 percent of women seen in ambulatory care clinics have been battered at some time in their lives; and 20 to 25 percent of pregnant women seeking prenatal care have been in a battering relationship. Beyond the damage to the women who are assaulted and terrorized, domestic violence also victimizes the children who witness it daily, transforming the notion of the safety of home into a virtual nightmare. The emotional trauma and pain suffered by these children often results in somatic complaints, psychological disorders, school failure and a propensity to resort to violence themselves as a primary conflict resolution strategy. In addition, their notions of love, relationship and marriage are skewed, often resulting in a destructive cycle of violence that continues in their own lives, as illustrated by the violent pattern emerging in teen dating.

Youth and Violence

Young people are disproportionately represented among perpetrators and victims of violent acts. Arrest rates in the United States for homicide, rape, robbery and aggravated assault are highest among adolescents and young adults. During the 1980s, more than 48,000 persons were murdered by youths between the ages of 12 and 24. Homicide rates among American males ages 15 to 24 are significantly greater than in males of similar age in other industrialized countries. The below listed figures compare homicide rates among 23 countries. The data show that the rates in the United States are over eight and a half times greater than for those in the next highest country, Italy. American youth are also disproportionately victims of firearm deaths. Data from the National Center for Injury and Prevention Control show that unintentional and intentional firearm injuries are the primary leading causes of death for youth ages 10 to 24. For people in higher age groups, firearm injuries as a cause of death drops to the fifth rank or above.

International Comparisons of Homicide Rates
Males, 15-24 years of age
1988 - 1991
Homicides per 100,000 population

United States-----------------------------------------37.2
Italy---------------4.3
New Zealand-----4.2
Israel--------------3.7
Australia----------3.6
Finland------------3.3
Scotland-----------3.1
Portugal-----------2.3
Poland-------------2.0
Ireland-------------1.8
Austria-------------1.6
Spain---------------1.5
Sweden------------1.5
Norway------------1.5
Netherlands-------1.3
Denmark-----------1.3
Greece-------------1.3
Switzerland--------1.2
Germany-----------1.1
France--------------0.9
Canada-------------0.9
England/Wales----0.6
Japan---------------0.5

Sources: National Center for Health Statistics, Vital Statistics, 1991;
World Statistics Annuals, 1991 and 1992, Geneva: World Health Organization

Frequently, youth are personally subjected to emotional, physical and sexual abuse from family members, or they witness others in their family being abused. The data show that children who suffer from family violence commonly run away, exposing themselves to even greater violence and abuse in the streets of urban areas. Open to the dangers of drugs, gangs, sexual exploitation and economic deprivation, these children are at the greatest risk of continuing the cycle as perpetrators or victims of violence. One research study found that young people who have been abused or neglected are 38 percent more likely to be arrested for a violent crime by the time they are adults than those who have not been mistreated.

People who work with victims of child abuse find a direct correlation between violence in the street and violence in the home. According to Dr. David Chadwick, Director of the Center for Child Protection, Children's Hospital, San Diego, street violence interferes with the contact between people and families that commonly occurs in less violent neighborhoods. When these preventive norms are limited by street violence, families are forced into isolation and fear. It is in these neighborhoods, where the support systems between individuals, groups and families are obstructed, that child abuse most commonly occurs.

Violence in the streets is carrying over into the schools, where students are also becoming victimized. In a 1993 nationwide survey of public and private school students in grades 9 through 12, 11.8 percent of those surveyed reported carrying weapons on campus in the previous month, and 24 percent reported they were offered, sold or given an illegal drug at school in the previous year. In another 1993 national survey, 4 percent of students said they had taken a gun to school in the past year, and 59 percent said they could get a handgun if they "wanted one." Of those who said they could get a handgun, two out of three said they could get one within 24 hours.

In some schools, the prevalence of gangs escalates the propensity for violence on campuses and fear among students. In a 1991 U.S. Department of Justice survey, 15 percent of a nationwide sample of school students said that gangs existed in their school, and 16 percent of the respondents claimed that they had witnessed students attacking or threatening a teacher at their school. Students exposed to gangs and gang violence respond by avoiding certain areas inside their schools (e.g., hallways and restrooms), taking circuitous routes to and from school, and fearing for their safety while in the school environment. The survey found that 3 percent of male students and 1 percent of female students said that they had taken "something" to school for self-protection.

The ability of schools to cope with the problem of violence on campus is often compromised by a lack of community involvement. Frequently, there is little or no communication between the schools, police, juvenile justice agencies and community services, nor is there an integration of efforts to mitigate the problems of violence. And, funds tied to categorical spending leave few avenues for schools to offer students alternative or vocational education opportunities. Consequently, lacking adequate resources, schools are too often relegated to the position of dealing with violence after the fact. Thus, youth exposed to violence at home and in the streets often find no respite in the schools, nor are the schools able to provide them with educational opportunities as viable alternatives to violent behavior.

A study of high-risk youth indicates that for many adolescents and children, the settings in their everyday lives fail to provide the resources essential to healthy development. About one-half of high school graduates in the United States do not go on to college, and of those who do, less than 25 percent receive a four-year degree. For the larger number of adolescents who do not attend or do not finish college, no institutional bridge or system exists to help them transition from school to work. Students who do not complete the 12th grade face even less encouraging prospects. Among those youth who do not graduate from high school, 28.1 percent of males and 21.5 percent of females are unemployed, limiting their prospects for a better future.

Young people's feelings of isolation and alienation appear to be exacerbated by parents, schools and communities planning for, rather than with, them. One youth who testified before the Council voiced the sentiments of many, "We feel that is one of the big problems, because young people aren't able to say what's going on with them, and programs are being created for them without using young people." In short, young people believe their opinions are valid and valuable, and that they should be heard. Without a forum, youth will continue to believe that they are not able to function effectively in the community.

Violence and Social Disruption

The social disruption precipitated by violence results in broken families, abused women, child abuse, depression and grieving. Parents who have lost their children to drive-by shootings and gang retaliation know the almost unbearable sadness that remains in the aftermath of senseless violence and its injurious effects on family relationships. Meanwhile, children who have witnessed domestic violence in their home are burdened with fear and suffer from physical maladies such as exhaustion, nervous breakdowns and the inability to make emotional commitments.

At a minimum, children who witness traumatic events-in their homes or in their neighborhoods-are ill-prepared to function well at school or in their community. They frequently vent their anger through violence. Many youth who have witnessed violent and traumatic events in their families and neighborhoods suffer from Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) and/or related personality disorders. With PTSD, youth experience the same symptoms exhibited by military personnel who have witnessed violent and traumatic events of war. Researchers have found that the effects of such traumatic exposures accumulate from birth, rendering these youth highly suggestible and resulting in behavior that is highly disruptive. These youth often become capable of committing the most outrageous acts against other people.

Finally, the spread of violence into the workplace has devastating effects on both employees and business operations. Despite the increase of violence in the work environment and the escalating costs associated with violent acts, a review of several employers in Northern California conducted by the Littler firm demonstrated that less than 17 percent have established any specific goals and responsibilities for preventing workplace violence.

Economic Impact of Violence in America

The costs of violence to society are staggering. Beyond the billions of dollars in direct medical expenses, criminal justice costs and property losses, there are hundreds of billions of indirect costs in lost productivity due to injuries, premature deaths and mental health issues, as well as lost quality of life.

The total direct medical costs for treating U.S. firearm victims in 1985 was $911 million. These costs included spending for hospital and long-term care, physician and other professional services, rehabilitation, medication, emergency transportation, medical equipment and supplies. Initial hospitalization costs in 1985 for the 65,127 hospitalized firearm victims in the United States were $455 million, an average of $7,000 per patient. Estimates from 1985 were updated to project 1990 costs, taking into account both inflationary and real changes. Total 1990 direct medical costs were estimated to exceed $1.4 billion, a 55 percent increase over five years.

The average annual financial costs of medical and mental health treatment, emergency response, productivity losses, and administration of health insurance and disability payments for victims of all assault injuries occurring between 1987 and 1990 were estimated to be $34 billion, with loss of quality of life costing another $145 billion.

Criminal justice expenses are also increasing. The U.S. prison population has increased by 167 percent between 1980 and 1990. In fact, this country incarcerates a higher percentage of its population than any other nation in the world. According to a Business Week report on the cost of crime in the United States, an estimated $90 billion a year is spent on police, courts and prisons.

According to the U.S. Department of Justice, in 1992, economic loss of some kind occurred during 71 percent of all personal crimes involving rape, robbery, assault and personal theft. The total loss for victims of personal crimes was $4.1 billion. Property crimes, including burglary, household larceny and motor vehicle theft accounted for an additional $ 13.5 billion.

Estimates of overall costs of violence that include the indirect losses of productivity and quality of life are even more astounding. The total cost to society for firearm injuries in 1985 was $14.4 billion. By 1990, this figure had increased to $20.4 billion. The lifetime costs for all persons aged 12 and older who are injured due to rape, robbery, assault, arson and murder in a single year in America are estimated to be $178 billion. This includes $76.6 billion in mental health costs and an additional $77.9 billion in lost quality of life.

SOURCES: 1. James A. Mercy, Mark L. Rosenberg, Kenneth E. Powell, Claire V. Broome and William L. Roper, " Public Health Policy for Preventing Violence, " Health Affairs, 12, No. 4, Winter 1993, citing National Center for Health Statistics, National Vital Statistics System. 2. Criminal Victimization in the United States, 1991, NCJ-139563, Washington, D.C.: Office of JusticePrograms, Bureau of Justice Statistics, U.S. Department of Justice, 1992; and Harlow, Injuries fromCrime, NCJ-116811, Washington, D.C.: Bureau of Justice Statistics, U.S. Department of Justice,1 990. 3. Criminal Victimization in the United States, 1987, NCJ-115524, Washington, D.C.: Bureau of JusticeStatistics, U.S. Department of Justice, 1988; Criminal Victimization in the United States, 1988, NCJ-122024, Washington, D.C.: Bureau of Justice Statistics, U.S. Department of Justice, 1989; andCriminal Victimization in the United States, 1989, NCJ-12391, Washington, D.C.: Bureau of JusticeStatistics, U.S. Department of Justice, 1990. 4. Crime in the United States, 1993, Washington, D.C.: FBI, U.S. Department of Justice, 1994, p. 18.5. Mark L. Rosenberg, M.D., M.P.P., Director, National Center for Injury Prevention and Control, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Written testimony submitted to the Policy Council, Fresno, California, September 22, 1994. 6. Crime in the United States, 1993,Washington, D.C.: FBI, U.S. Department of Justice, 1994, p. 17. 7. Age-Specific Arrest Rates and Race-Specific Arrest Rates for Selected Offenses, 1965- 1988,Washington, D.C.: FBI, U.S. Department of Justice, 1990.8. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Surveillance Summaries, Morbidity and Mortality WeeklyReport 29 May 1992, 41, No. SS-3, 1992, 1 -33, citing M. Hammett et al., " Homicide Surveil-lance, 1979-1988. "A.L. Kellerman and J.A. Mercy, "Men, Women and Murder: Gender-Specific Differences in Rates ofFatal Violence and Victimization, " Journal of Trauma, 33, No. 1, 1992, 1 -S.10. Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention Fact Sheet #19, Washington, D.C.: U.S. Department of Justice, Nov. 1994, citing Barbara Allen-Hagen, Melissa Sickmund and Howard N. Snyder, "Juveniles and Violence: Juvenile Offending and Victimization," Nov. 1994.11. Maria Dye, Victim and survivor of domestic violence, Testimony before the Policy Council, Oakland, California, August 9, 1994.12. First Comprehensive National Health Survey of American Women, New York: The Commonwealth Fund, July 1993.13. Rape in America: A Report to the Nation, Washington, D.C.: National Victims Center, 1992.14. Mary P. Koss, Christine A. Gidyes and Nadine Wieseniewski, "The Scope of Rape: Incidence and Prevalence of Sexual Aggression and Victimization in a National Sample of Higher Education Students, " Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 55, No. 2, 162- 170.15. Patricia A. Tyra, Ed.D., R.N., C.S., "Older Women: Victims of Rape," Journal of Gerontological Nursing, May 1993.16. Ron Rae, M.D., Physicians for a Violence-free Society, Testimony before the Policy Council, San Diego, California, September 27, 1994.17. Brandon Carrillo, Student at Roosevelt Middle School, Oceanside, Testimony before the Policy Council, San Diego, California, September 27, 1994.18. Age-Specific Arrest Rates and Race-Specific Arrest Rates for Selected Offenses, 1965- 1988, Washington, D.C.: FBI, U.S. Department of Justice, 1990. 19. Supplemental Homicide Report Data Tapes, 1980-1989, Washington, D.C.: FBI, U.S. Department ofJustice, 1990.20. L.A. Fingerhut and J.C. Kleinman, "International and Interstate Comparisons of Homicide Among Young Males, " Journal/ of the American Medical Association, 263, 1990, pp. 3292-3295.21. Mortality Trends, Causes of Death and Related Risk Behaviors Among U.S. Adolescents, Adolescent Health: State of the Nation Monograph Series, No. 1, CDC 099-4112, Atlanta: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 1993.22. Arnold S. Kahn, Ph.D., ea., Task Force on Victims of Crime and Violence-Final Report, Washington, D.C.:.: American Psychological Association, 30 Nov. 1984. Cathy Spatz Wisdom, The Cycle of Violence, Research in Brief, Washington, D.C.:.: National Institute of Justice, U.S. Department of Justice, Oct. 1992, p. 1.24. David Chadwick, M.D., Director, Center for Child Protection, Children's Hospital, San Diego, Testimony before the Policy Council, San Diego, California, September 27, 1994.25. "Youth Risk Behavior Surveys," Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 1993.26. LH Research, Inc., "A Survey of Experiences, Perceptions, and Apprehensions About Guns Among Young People in America," Boston: The Harvard School of Public Health, July 1993.27. Lisa D. Bastian and Bruce M. Taylor, Ph.D., School Crime, A National Crime Victimization Survey Report, Washington, D.C.: U.S. Department of Justice, Sept. 1991.28. National Research Council, Losing Generations: Adolescents in High Risk Settings, Washington, D.C.: National Academy Press, 1993.29. R. Omega, Student member of the Fighting Back Project, Vallejo, Testimony before the Policy Council, Sacramento, California, October 13, 1994.30. Bruce Steven Basulto, Gang Diversion Coordinator, Bell Gardens Police Department, Testimony before the Policy Council, San Diego, California, September 17, 1994.31. Steve Sposato, Spouse of murder victim, Testimony before the Policy Council, Oakland, California, August 9, 1994.32. Lorna Hawkins, Founder of Drive-by-Agony and mother of two slain sons, Testimony before the Policy Council, Los Angeles, California, August 30, 1994.33. Marya Grambs, Consultant, Family Violence Prevention Fund, Strategist for Women Against Gun Violence, Child survivor and witness of domestic violence, Testimony before the Policy Council, Oakland, California, August 9, 1994.34. Hans Steiner, M.D., Associate Professor of Research, Stanford University, Testimony before the Policy Council, Sacramento, California, October 13, 1994.35. Ibid.36. Garry G. Mathiason et al., " Responding to Workplace Violence, " Terror and Violence in the Workplace, 1994, Chapter 8, Written testimony submitted to the Policy Council.37. Dorothy Rice and Wendy Max, "Shooting in the Dark: Estimating the Cost of Firearm Injuries," Health Affairs, Winter 1993, pp. 176- 177, 179-181.38. T.R. Miller, M.A. Cohen and S.B. Rossman, "Victim Costs of Violent Crime and Resulting injuries,' Health Affairs, Winter 1993, pp. 187-198.39. William J. Chambliss, "Policing the Ghetto Underclass: The Politics of Law and Law Enforcement," Social Problems, 41, No. 2, May 1994, 177-194.40. C. Farrell, "The Economics of Crime, " Business Week, 13 Dec. 1993.41. Patsy A. Klaus, "The Costs of Crime to Victims," Crime Data Brief, Washington, D.C.: Bureau of Justice Statistics, U.S. Department of Justice, 1992.42. Dorothy Rice and Wendy Max, "Estimating the Cost of Firearm Injuries," pp. 177, 181.43. TR. Miller, M.A. Cohen and S.B. Rossman, "Victim Costs of Violent Crime and Resulting Injuries,' Health Affairs, Winter 1993, pp. 195-197.44. Crime and Delinquency in California, 1993, Sacramento: California Department of Justice, 1994, p. 5.45. Ibid.46. Homicide In California, 1993, Sacramento: California Department of Justice, 1994, p. 69.47. Crime In the U.S., 1993, Washington, D.C.: U.S. Department of Justice, 1994.48. Law Enforcement Information Center, California Department of Justice, 1993 statistics.49. Ibid. 50. Crime and Delinquency in California, 1993, p. 6. 51. Crime and Delinquency in California 1993, p. 8. 52. Crime and Delinquency in California, 1993, p. 10. 53. Homicide ln California, 1993,p.77. 54. Crime and Delinquency in California, 1993, pp. 10-12.55. Domestic Violence Related Calls for Assistance, Law Enforcement Information Center, California Department of Justice, 1993.56. Law Enforcement Information Center, California Department of Justice, 1993 statistics.57. Homicide in California, 1993, p. 16.58. Homicide in Califomia, 1993, p. 81.59. Homicides Among California's Children and Youth, 1992, 93-12002, Sacramento: Center for Health Statistics, California Department of Health Services, Dec. 1993.60. Death Records, California Department of Health Services, 1993.61. "Rate per 100,000 Population at Risk, 1992, " Crime and Delinquency in California, Sacramento: Division of Law Enforcement, Law Enforcement Center, California Department of Justice, 1993, p. 35._. Range Hutson, M.D., Acting Chair, Department of Emergency Medicine, Martin Luther King Medical Center, Los Angeles, Written testimony submitted to the Policy Council, Los Angeles, California, August 30, 1994... Allan F. Abrahamse, RAND, Memo on race of offender and victims in California homicides; and John M. Dawson and Barbara Boland, Murder in large Urban Counties, 1988, 140614, Washington, D.C.:Bureau of Justice Statistics.64. Gangs, A Statewide Directory of Programs, Sacramento: Crime and Violence Prevention Center, California Attorney General's Office, 1994, p. 295.65. School Crime Reports, Statewide Totals, July 1, 1988 - June 30, 1989.66. Gangs, A Statewide Directory of Programs, 1994, p. 295, citing California Student Substance Use Survey.67. Hate Crimes in California, (draft) Special Report to the Attorney General, Sacramento: California Department of Justice, Feb. 1995.68. Marcus Nieto, Roger Dunstan and Gus A. Koehler, Ph.D., "Firearm-Related Violence in California: Incidence and Economic Costs," Sacramento: California State Research Bureau, California State Library, Oct.1994, p. 22.69. Range Hutson, M.D., Written testimony submitted to the Policy Council, Los Angeles, California, August 30, 1994.70. "Firearm-Related Violence in California," p. 22.71. Crime In California, Legislative Analyst's Office, Jan. 1993, p. 45.72. California Department of Corrections, Offender Information Services Branch, May 1995.73. California Youth Authority Public Information Unit, May 1995.74. Ibid.

CONTRIBUTING FACTORS TO VIOLENCE

In seeking to better understand the catalysts that influence criminal and violent behavior, the Policy Council explored the underlying contributing factors. Dr. Leonard D. Eron, Chairman of the Commission on Violence and Youth of the American Psychological Association (APA) testified before the Council:

Violence is not a behavior that springs forth spontaneously when a child reaches adolescence. The ground work has been prepared long before this. Somewhere in the youngster's background, bombarded by all the genetic, physiological, social and economic conditions, he or she must somehow, somewhere have learned to solve interpersonal problems with the use of violence to relieve frustration and similarly to acquire material possessions by the use of violence.

As a youth, the violent adolescent:

Must have seen this type of behavior at home, in the neighborhood, in school, or on the TV screen.

Must also have seen it rewarded and approved.

Might subsequently have fantasized about it.

Has perhaps engaged in it and been rewarded for it.

Although aggression is caused by many factors, ultimately it is learned behavior. This is one hopeful note in the depressing sequence or combination of causal factors. If aggression is learned, then it can be unlearned, or conditions arranged so it is not learned in the first place. This is the overriding finding of the American Psychological Association.

The Council largely agreed with the APA findings that violence is a learned behavior resulting from the interaction of a complex array of factors. Members also recognized that the convergence of individual, family and community conditions greatly increases the risk for violence and the need for intervention.

Casual and Contributing Factors

The Council found a myriad of conditions and factors contributing to violence.

Media Influence

Violence in the media is capable of having an indelible, negative impact on youth. Ralph Lewis writes that the mass media occupies a significant portion of time in the daily lives of Americans, and that a large proportion of television offerings portray violent, aggressive behavior. Recent surveys indicate that about 98 percent of American households have one or more televisions; the television is on about 28 hours a week for children 2 to 11 years of age and about 23 hours a week for teenagers. Research shows there are about five to six violent acts per hour on prime time and about 20 to 25 violent acts on Saturday morning children's programs. These violent acts account for about 188 hours of violent programming per week, or about 15 percent of all program time.

Mass media presentations that often glamorize violent acts, but rarely show their consequences, serve to normalize violence and desensitize our response to it. The underlying message is that violence is a legitimate strategy for solving problems. Dr. Delbert Elliott of The Center for the Study and Prevention of Violence, concludes, "What is learned is not only how to do violence, but a desensitization to violence and rationalizations for disengaging one's moral obligations to others.'' There is also a pervasive problem in the way in which women are portrayed in all levels of the media. Sexist stereotypes of women as victims, as passive, as "enjoying" or even deserving of abuse-and sexist stereotypes of men as aggressive, unemotional, more intelligent and valued members of society who solve problems primarily by force-feed into a climate in which it is permissible to batter women.

Newscasts also do their share to feed the public's appetite for violence by glamorizing violent acts through repeated coverage and sensationalized headlines. Under the guise of the "public's right to know," gang warfare is glorified and inflamed by reported hits, and victims are exploited with questions about how they "feel" under such circumstances. Thus does society become desensitized and numbed by the barrage of violence paraded before us daily.

Although computer and video games can assist with learning under specific circumstances, violent video games have been found to breed violent behavior. As early as 1984, Greenfield determined that violent videos tend to raise the level of aggressive play, and that this association is stronger when the game is played by a solitary player. Among those who play video games, boys far outnumber girls, suggesting that the attraction and impact of these games is linked to gender differences, both physiological and social.

Firearms

Recent research investigating the link between deaths and the availability of firearms suggests that guns now constitute a public health crisis. In 1992, firearms were used in 68.2 percent of the homicides committed in the United States. Firearm deaths have risen 14 percent over the last decade and are the second leading cause of injury death for individuals ages 10 and above. In 1988, the firearm death rates for both white and black male teenagers exceeded the total from all natural causes of death. In fact, offender surveys over the last decade show that while the number of assaults committed by juveniles has remained fairly stable, the lethality of these incidents has risen dramatically because of the involvement of firearms. Whereas, in times past, most juveniles, including gang members, would fight largely with their fists, clubs and knives, today's weapon of choice is the handgun. And, unfortunately, while there are laws against minors possessing handguns, these weapons are nevertheless so available that many inner-city youth can purchase a gun almost as easily as they can cigarettes and alcohol.

Violence caused by the availability of firearms is sometimes unintentional. Wintemute, et al. report that between 1977 and 1983, 88 California children under the age of 15 were unintentionally shot and killed either by other children or by themselves. The majority of these cases occurred while the children were playing with guns they found at home. Despite the unintentional nature of these acts, the outcomes were violent and irreparable, adding to the cumulative burden of social and personal disruption already being suffered by Americans."

Alcohol

Abuse of alcohol is an excellent example of the bond between contributing factors and violence. Alcohol, the number one drug associated with violence, may not, in itself, cause a person to become violent. Instead, the presence of alcohol reduces an individuals ability to make rational decisions and identify dangerous situations, while increasing the likelihood of impulsive and high-risk responses to potentially violent situations. These behavior changes also make it more likely that the protagonist will become either a perpetrator or victim of a violent act. According to James Mosher, J.D., Research Fellow, Marin Institute for Alcohol and Other Drug Problems, over one-half of the inmates in California state prisons convicted of violent crimes used alcohol just before committing the violent offense.

Another study of crime on college and university campuses documents the relationship between alcohol, other drugs and violent behavior. The data show that from 1984 to 1989, over 80 percent of reported campus crimes involved students victimizing other students, and over 95 percent of all offenses committed on these campuses involved alcohol or other drugs.

Corporate Promotion

In many ways, we have relinquished the socialization of our children to people whose major concern is financial profit. To maintain our commitment to free enterprise and free speech, and to avoid the need for establishing extensive regulations to protect our children, it is time for corporate responsibility to take center stage and balance the profit motive with what is good and healthy for our young people and for society as a whole.

Our culture explicitly promotes violence in a multitude of ways. Our multimillion dollar entertainment industry is the most obvious illustration. John Wayne, Clint Eastwood, Sylvester Stallone, Chuck Norris and Arnold Schwarzenegger are big-screen heroes who "save the day" in a blaze of gun power and destruction. "Mortal Combat," "Death Squad" and an overabundance of equally violent, sadistic video games are best sellers, with more explicit and shocking death modes introduced regularly. Rap idols "rap" about killing cops and raping women, and many music videos depict similar images. Even television is becoming more graphic in its depictions, and with cable access, there is less and less control over what is sent out over the airwaves.

Nor is it uncommon for corporations to use sex and violence to sell products, integrating both into the basic orientation of the culture. Rap idols are used to market high-alcohol-content beer (malt-liquors) to young males, and the beer industry capitalizes on such violent images as Colt 45 and Red Dog.

There is also the sports arena, with media-made superheroes whom our children see as role models. Unfortunately, competitiveness has been taken to such extremes (due to the large sums of money involved) that it is commonly accepted for players to engage in borderline violence such as late hits in football and brush-back pitches in baseball, often meant to seriously injure opponents. There are after-whistle shoves that turn into brawls, emptying the benches with entire teams trying to get in their punches. This fighting is sensationalized by media coverage during the game and then repeatedly shown during the 5, 6 and 11 o'clock news. Penalties and fines are sometimes levied, but are seldom significant; they are far outweighed by the glory of the win. "When winning is the only thing, can violence be far away?"

Poverty

The connection between economic poverty and violence is not straight forward; many economically deprived people are not violent, and many violent people are not economically disadvantaged. The risk factors for violent crime are, however, tied to economic hardship. They are evident in the absence of good health, education, recreation and jobs, which contributes to a sense of despair and lack of regard for human life among young people growing up in poverty. The data show that disadvantaged individuals and people in low socioeconomic status are at far greater risk of committing or suffering from a violent act. According to Wintemute et al., children in many poor, urban neighborhoods become experts in combat survival, "as they must do" in order to make sense of their daily lives.

The effects of poverty manifest themselves in health and mental health problems, hopelessness, isolation, broken and fatherless homes, and alienation. Studies indicate a strong, direct correlation between intergenerational poverty and child abuse. Economic deprivation is linked to a multitude of negative stressors, which, in turn, generate inadequate parenting. Lack of parental guidance and child abuse, in particular, have a significant impact on the delinquent behavior of youth. There is abundant research to demonstrate the relationship between either witnessing or experiencing violence in the home and later resorting to delinquent, criminal and violent behavior.

Hopelessness and Isolation

The Council saw fear, isolation and hopelessness experienced by youth and an increasing number of adults as clear contributors to and results of violence. For most people, violence is not the first choice. They seek diplomacy, negotiation and cooperation first, traditionally resorting to violence as their last course of action. Children today, however, are growing up exposed to more and more violence, and they see the ease by which guns are used as the first choice for solving problems or disputes. This, coupled with seeing friends die and coping with fear, isolation and hopelessness, sets up dangerous obstacles for youth to overcome that perhaps were not experienced by past generations.

These conditions make it difficult for youth to experience understanding, sympathy and empathy for others, a prerequisite for valuing human life. Young people may not be learning the basic negotiation skills or the value of cooperation. A child growing up in an environment that fails to foster a basic sense of safety and spiritual development, with clear standards for conduct that value social connections, may fail to see the world as a welcome place.

Experiencing hopelessness, fear and isolation is not limited to youth. Women, the elderly and other cultural and minority groups are impacted by people's attempts to assert power and control over them. These expressions of power and control show themselves in the form of domestic violence, elder abuse, hate crimes and even gang violence. As a result of the violence, the victims often become fearful, possibly ashamed and hopeless. They may then isolate themselves from family, friends and community. Sometimes entire neighborhoods are overcome by a sense of hopelessness and held captive by their fear, barring their windows and doors and isolating themselves.

Educational Decline

The National Commission on Excellence in Education produced a report in 1983 that described the declining education performance of our children. In the ensuing 10 years, little progress has been made. According to the Committee on Economic Development, the more than one million youth who fail to graduate from high school each year will be marginally illiterate and virtually unemployable. And, dropouts are three and a half times as likely as high school graduates to be arrested (60 percent of prison inmates are high school dropouts) and six times more likely to be unmarried parents.

In California, a massive educational reform movement began in 1983. The components include: engaging students in a strengthened and challenging curriculum; developing more powerful student assessment and school accountability; improving instructional resources; preparing more students for college and to qualify for technical preparation programs and jobs; providing support to students and reducing the dropout rate; establishing an environment of professionalism for school faculty; involving parents, businesses, and community members; making instructional and organizational changes to allow students to reach higher levels; and expanding the use of technology in our schools.

California schools continue to have increasing enrollments, and progress is being made in many of the reform areas. For example, in California, the dropout rate has fallen almost 34 percent since 1986. In spite of these improvements, however, test scores and youth crime and violence rates continue to indicate that the system is still not working for many students, and much hard work remains.

In order for education to reduce crime, educational reforms must be targeted at youth who are at greatest risk. This means focusing on inner-city public schools, which tend to have the least experienced teachers, as well as the largest and more dangerous classrooms. Furthermore, public education must have the necessary resources to meet the needs of its dramatically growing and increasingly diverse student population. California currently spends significantly less per pupil than the national average. If schools are inadequately funded, the gains made may be erased, and reform efforts may grind to a halt.

Devaluing of Life

At a minimum, our culture of violence causes anxiety, desensitizes us to the pain of others and devalues life. The Council passionately discussed the racism and discrimination that has tolerated unspeakable violence against African-Americans, Hispanics, Asians and other people of color. The effects of racism and discrimination continue today as demonstrated by socio-economic inequalities, the stereotype of black men as violent criminals to be feared, the overrepresentation of people of color in the criminal justice system, as well as an increase in hate crime.

The Council acknowledged the power and control theme that has manifested itself in violence against women and children and is tacitly supported by society, as evidenced by domestic violence, including partner abuse, acquaintance rape and child abuse. Until recently, society has largely looked the other way, holding the victims somehow responsible (assuming women "must have asked for it") or deeming domestic violence a private matter (taking the attitude that what goes on within a family is the business of its members).

The Council also recognized the tragedy of "gang mentality" that takes a life for a false sense of respect and power. This distorted sense of pride places a human life at less value then a pair of sneakers, or condones the taking of a life as the standard retaliation for perceived disrespect.

Lack of Responsibility

Any combination of these risk factors economic deprivation, dysfunctional family life and parenting, exposure to chronic family and community violence, alcohol use, easy availability of firearms, social attitudes of sexism, racism and discrimination, or the cultural glamorization of violence creates a tinderbox only waiting for a spark to ignite it. These conditions, however, were not viewed by the Council as a justification for reacting with violence, particularly the taking of a life.

Council members agreed that a lack of accountability or a sense of personal and social responsibility also contribute to violence. They discussed how many in our society have lost their sense of responsibility, and how we no longer hold individuals and institutions accountable for their actions. If people are not held responsible for their actions, and our youth see this day after day, it is unlikely that we will effectively communicate to young people the value of personal and social responsibility. And, without these values, it is unlikely that they will develop the skills to negotiate life without resorting to violence.

Mental Health Problems

Mental health problems associated with violent behavior include biological or physical problems such as attention deficit or hyperactivity disorder, and emotional or psychosocial problems associated with abuse, neglect or trauma. Dissociative disorders such as Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) are identified as commonly being a result of exposure to traumatic violence or as having a causal relationship to violent acts. PTSD is typically associated with exposure to violence, such as the violent trauma experienced by veterans during war, or that of children who are exposed to a traumatic incident (e.g., having a parent murdered or killed in a car crash, or witnessing a drive-by shooting).

In testimony before the Council, Hans Steiner, M.D., Associate Professor of Psychiatry at Stanford Medical School, described a study in which he found that about a third of the 110 California Youth Authority wards who participated tested positive for PTSD. He explained that more severe forms of dissociative disorders, although rare, are linked to chronic traumatization such as prolonged and repeated abuse and neglect. Youth in this state are often highly suggestible. Dr. Steiner suggested that this may help explain why these kids are performing outrageous acts of violence against other people.

According to Ronel Lewis, M.D., of the San Francisco Youth Guidance Center, child abuse and neglect is repeatedly seen as a problem that leads to tendencies towards violence. Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) is another disorder that impairs 3 to 10 percent of school-age kids. If not properly diagnosed and treated, these children develop self-esteem problems and conduct problems, and are labeled "bad kids." The majority of these children eventually drop out of school, seeking gratification in other activities, frequently outside the law and involving violence to some degree. Studies show that from 30 to 50 percent (depending on the study) of youth diagnosed as having ADHD by age 12 will be arrested by the time they are 18.

SOURCES:1. Leonard D. Eron, Ph.D., Chair, Commission on Violence and Youth, American Psychological Association, Testimony before the Policy Council, San Diego, California, September 27, 1994. Ralph G. Lewis, "The Media and Violent and Criminal Behavior," Justice and Media, Issues and Research, ed. Ray Surette, Ph.D., Springfield, IL: Charles Thomas, 1984, pp. 51-69.3. E. Donnerstein, R. Slaby and L. Eron, "The Mass Media and Youth Aggression," Reason to Hope: A Psychological Perspective on Violence and Youth, ed. L. Eron, J. Gentry and P. Schlegel, Washington, D.C.: American Psychological Association, 1995.4. Ibid.5. Delbert S. Elliott, Ph.D., "Youth Violence: An Overview," Boulder, Colorado: The Center for the Study and Prevention of Violence, University of Colorado, March 1994.6. Patricia Marks Greenfield, Mind & Media: The Effects of TV, Video Games and Computers, Cambridge: Harvard University Press, 1984.7. Daniel W. Webster, C. Patrick Caulk, Stephen P. Teret and Garen J. Wintemute, "Reducing Firearm Injuries, " Issues in Science and Technology, Spring 1991.8. Randy Rossi, Acting Chief, Bureau of Criminal Information and Analysis, California Department of Justice, citing FBI Crime Reports, Testimony before the Policy Council, San Diego, California, September 27, 1994.9. Mark Rosenberg, M.D., M.P.P, Director, National Center for Injury Prevention and Control, Centers for Disease Prevention and Control, Testimony before the Policy Council, Fresno, California, September 22, 1994.10. Delbert S. Elliott, Ph.D., "Youth Violence: An Overview."11. Garen J. Wintemute, M.D., M.P.H., Stephen P. Teret, M.D., M.P.H., Jess F. Kraus, Ph.D., M.P.H., Mona A. Wright and Gretchen Bradfield, M.S., "When Children Shoot Children, " Journal of the American Medical Association, 12 June 1987, p. 257.12. Research in Brief, Washington, D.C.: National Institute of Justice, Feb. 1994, p. 4.13. J.D. Mosher, Marin Institute for Alcohol and Other Drug Problems, Testimony before the Policy Council, Oakland, California, August 9, 1994.14. J.D. Mosher, Marin Institute for Alcohol and Other Drug Problems, Written testimony submitted to the Policy Council, Oakland, California, August 9, 1994.15. John J. Sloan, "The Correlates of Campus Crime: An Analysis of Reported Crimes on Colleges and University Campuses, " Journal of Criminal Justice, 22, No. 1, 1994, 51 -61.16. Myrian Miedzian, Boys Will Be Boys, New York: Anchor Books, 1991, p. 181.17. Garen J. Wintemute, M.D., M.P.H.,., Michael Hancock, J.D.,., Colin Loftin, Ph.D., Andrew McGuire, Michael Pertschuk, J.D.,., and Stephen P. Teret, M.D., M.P.H.,., "Policy Options on Firearm Violence, Improving the Health of the Poor, ed. Sarah E. Samuels, D.P.H.. and Mark D. Smith, M.D., M.B.A., Menlo Park: The Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation, May 1992, pp. 79-96.18. Ibid., p. 82.19. Candace Kruttschmitt, Jane D. McLeod and Marid Dornfeld, "The Economic Environment of Child Abuse," Social Problems, No. 2, May 1994, p. 41.20. A Nation at Risk: The Imperative for Educational Reform, Washington, D.C.: National Commission on Excellence in Education, U.S. Department of Education, 1983.21. Children in Need: /investment Strategies for the Educationally Disadvantaged, New York: Committee for Economic Development, 1987.22. Byron N. Kunisawa, "A Nation in Crisis: The Dropout Dilemma, " National Education Association, Jan. 1988, p. 61.23. Reducing Crime in America, San Francisco: National Council on Crime and Delinquency, Aug. 1993, p. 39.24. Janice Lowen Agee, California Public Education 1983 - 1994, Sacramento: California Department of Education, 1994, p. 1.25. Ibid., p. 3.26. Ibid., p. 43.27. Hans Steiner, M.D., Associate Professor of Psychiatry, Stanford University Medical School, Testimony before the Policy Council, Sacramento, California, October 13, 1994.28. Ronel Lewis, M.D., Medical Director, Psychiatric Clinic, San Francisco Youth Guidance Center, Testimony before the Policy Council, Sacramento, California, October 13, 1994.29. Mark Rosenberg, M.D., M.P.P.,., Testimony before the Policy Council.

RECOMMENDATIONS

A Violence-Free Society

The Policy Council concluded that violence is everyone's business. When the people of California accept this truth, we will see a promising future, and we will start to turn back the tide of violence sweeping our land. The Council believes that a country which reaffirms that every person matters by embracing violence-free values, sees its people and communities as having strengths and being resilient, and fosters those strengths and resiliencies will see the promise fulfilled. California can lead the way.

MEDIA
FIREARMS
ALCOHOL
COMMUNITY
FAMILY
RELATIONSHIPS
YOUTH
RESPECT FOR DIVERSITY
PERSONAL AND SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY
RESEARCH AND EVALUATION

MEDIA

Promote policies and strategies that increase the constructive use of media to deglamorize violence and promote nonviolent social norms.

1. Network executives and local television and radio stations should adopt more responsible, sensitive news reporting practices that:

�Deglamorize violence and promote nonviolent social norms.
�Avoid showing graphic details of murder scenes and resist the attraction to sensationalize violence.
�Balance negative images with those that highlight positive efforts in communities such as neighborhood heroes, including youth and young men of color.
�Help promote community forums that encourage participation in violence-prevention efforts.

2. The motion picture, music, video, television and interactive game industries should exercise corporate responsibility by producing products and programming that:

� Deglamorize violence.
� Accurately portray the consequences of violence in terms of human suffering and social costs.
� Encourage empathy and personal and social responsibility.
� Teach conflict resolution skills and nonviolence (e.g., resolving conflict without weapons or violent behavior).
� Do not stereotype or promote social misconceptions about cultures, religions, genders or age groups.
� Provide positive, nonviolent entertainment options for children and adults.

3. Advertising and marketing campaigns should:

� Promote products without depicting or glamorizing violence.
� Avoid promoting anti-social behavior such as that connected with graffiti and gangs.
� Show sensitivity to all segments of society and avoid demeaning depictions of any group, including women.

4. The motion picture, music, video, television and interactive game industries should exercise corporate responsibility by developing effective- rating systems and consumer guides that reveal the levels of violence in their products, in addition to adult language, nudity and sex.

5. Distributors and exhibitors of entertainment products, including theaters, video and record stores, and stores that sell video games should:

� Advocate for rating systems that accurately reflect public concerns and scientific information about the effects of violent and other inappropriate material on children.
� Seriously promote and enforce rating advisories and other content information to assist parents and ensure that children have access only to age-appropriate material.

6. Parents should increase their media literacy to better understand and mitigate the possible influences of media on their children's attitudes and behavior.

7. Schools should incorporate media literacy programs into the existing curriculum to enable youth to better access, analyze, evaluate and produce communication in a variety of forms.

8. The Attorney General's Office, in conjunction with the State Departments of Health and Social Services, should develop a statewide campaign to communicate the message that violence is everybody's business and should not be tolerated.

9. Public education campaigns should be developed to instill the social values of:

� Acceptance and respect for all people, recognizing the value of diversity in gender, age, race, culture and religion, and countering stereotypes and social misconceptions.
� Personal responsibility and accountability as demonstrated through character, critical thinking skills, resiliency, delayed gratification and related issues.
� Social responsibility, including the importance of civic virtue, community service, justice and fairness, and the necessity to balance freedom with responsibility.

FIREARMS

Promote policies and strategies that reduce deaths and injuries from firearms.

1. California should enact legislation to prohibit the manufacture and sale of handguns commonly referred to as "Saturday Night Specials.'

2. California should enact legislation to require guns manufactured in California to meet the same consumer safety and production standards imposed on imported firearms.

3. California should enact legislation that requires gun manufacturers to build in or provide child safety devices for all firearms sold in this state and requires all dealers to offer such devices at the point of sale.

4. The California Attorney General, Governor and Legislature should urge Congress to support the continuation and rigorous enforcement of the federal assault weapons ban.

5. California should enact legislation to limit the sale of expanding, hollow-point ammunition because of its lethality and ability to cause extensive injury and organ damage.

6. California should enact legislation to require all gun dealers to register with their local police or sheriff's department to ensure that proper dealer licensing requirements have been met.

7. California should enact legislation to require individuals to obtain a license to purchase a handgun.

8. The Department of Justice should promote public awareness of California law requiring that all firearm sales and transfers be documented through a licensed dealer or local law enforcement agency.

9. The California Department of Justice, the California Department of Health Services and local law enforcement agencies should develop a public service campaign to promote firearms safety and to encourage gun owners to record the make, model and serial number of their firearms for reporting purposes, if stolen.

10. The Judicial Council should encourage judges to apply the law allowing them to order individuals who are subject to domestic violence restraining orders to surrender any and all firearms in their possession.

11. California should enact legislation to increase the penalty for carrying loaded, concealed firearms from a misdemeanor to a misdemeanor/felony at the discretion of the district attorney, to make it consistent with other concealed weapon sanctions.

12. California should enact legislation to increase mandatory sentences for using a gun during a crime.

ALCOHOL

Promote policies and strategies that reduce violence associated with alcohol.

1. Local governments and communities should exercise their rights to influence how alcohol is distributed and sold in their communities.

2. California should enact legislation to increase state alcoholic beverage excise taxes and allocate the additional resources to fund prevention programs, alcohol-related trauma care and treatment, and economic development programs that reduce community economic dependence upon alcohol outlets.

3. The State Department of Health Services and the Department of Alcohol and Drug Programs should initiate a public awareness campaign to educate the public on the strong association between alcohol and violence.

4. California should increase state funding for and support the continuation of federal funding or effective local alcohol, drug and violence prevention and intervention programs.

5. California should continue to make it a high priority to fund Department of Alcohol and Drug Program prenatal substance abuse programs for pregnant women and their substance-exposed children.

COMMUNITY

Promote policies and strategies that strengthen communities and schools by expanding local ownership and control.

1. The Attorney General's Office, the Commission on Peace Officer Standards and Training, and statewide law enforcement professional associations should aggressively promote comprehensive Community Policing so that it becomes the standard for policing throughout California.

2. Local city, county and district governments should be encouraged to adopt a "community-based, customer service" approach that actively seeks community participation in identifying problems and designing and implementing solutions.

3. Local programs and agencies should be encouraged to recruit and fill staff and leadership positions from the neighborhoods and communities being served.

4. Local communities should exercise their authority in managing and controlling alcohol distribution through the effective use of local zoning ordinances, conditional use permits and Department of Alcohol Beverage Control enforcement practices regulating retail outlet licenses, advertising and billboards.

5. State funding should be allocated through non-categorical block grants that require community collaboration to support community capacity-building involving violence prevention.

6. State and local policy-makers should be encouraged to offer social and economic incentives for businesses to invest in community health, including affordable housing, vocational skill development, jobs and child care.

7. Schools, park and recreation departments, businesses and youth-serving organizations should coordinate their resources to expand after-school activities and alternatives for youth.

8. Schools, police, probation, juvenile courts and youth-serving organizations should work with communities to collaboratively develop community service programs that serve as meaningful interventions for youth who have committed school infractions or minor offenses.

9. The State Superintendent of Public Instruction and County and School District Superintendents should provide leadership and incentives for schools to recognize their place in the community, encouraging them to remain open and accessible to community input and shared decision-making.

10. School districts should offer their school sites to community-based organizations and other agencies to use for the integrated, coordinated delivery of health and social services to children and their families.

11. Schools should actively encourage parents, businesses, police and other community members to become involved through volunteer time and services.

12. Schools should teach responsible civic participation, implement policies that support community service learning, and include community service as a requirement for all extra curricular activities.

13. Local school districts should coordinate with the business community to expand vocational and educational programs that include internships and job skill development.

14. County offices of education and local school districts should ensure that community or alternative schools provide quality educational programs for students suspended or expelled from regular school.

15. County offices of education should be required to certify that every school within the county has developed and implemented a school safety plan that involves broad community participation.

16. Parents, businesses and other community members should become involved in their local schools through volunteer time and services.

17. Public and private employers should be encouraged to provide employees with incentives for participation in community service efforts such as mentoring programs, school involvement, tutoring and neighborhood improvement projects.

FAMILY

Promote policies and strategies that support families, recognizing them as the basic institution for developing and nurturing children.

1. Early intervention and support programs should be expanded to reach all children and parents exposed to risk factors.

2. Health and social service agencies should establish or expand existing home visitation programs for new parents who require support and assistance.

3. State and local policy-makers and the Legislature should identify policies and programs that have the unintended consequence of undermining families and modify them to support committed, caring and responsible family relationships.

4. Local schools, adult education programs, community organizations and businesses should make relationship-skills training, including child development, parenting and conflict and anger management skills, available and accessible for men and women through traditional and non-traditional delivery systems.

5. Schools should incorporate child-development and parenting skills into the existing educational curriculum for all grades K-12.

6. Schools, social services, parks and recreation departments, youth-serving organizations and businesses should coordinate their resources to ensure the availability of adequate quality child care.

RELATIONSHIPS

Promote policies and strategies that support violence-free relationships.

1. State and local government, businesses, entertainment and advertising industries, police, social service and health agencies should develop and support comprehensive campaigns that communicate the messages that "there is no excuse for domestic violence" and that "domestic violence is everybody's business."

2. Local religious and service organizations, non-profit organizations, neighborhood associations and other community groups, and medical providers should embrace the message that "there is no excuse for domestic violence," and that everyone has a responsibility to prevent domestic violence.

3. State and local public health officials and domestic violence service providers should establish partnerships to develop and implement a broad range of prevention activities in communities throughout the state.

4. Schools should integrate curriculum regarding nonviolent relationships, dating and domestic violence, and related subjects into the existing K-12 course of study.

5. Schools and youth-serving organizations should expand programs that build independence, self-esteem and leadership skills among young women and girls.

6. Schools and youth-serving organizations should expand programs that teach boys and men how to develop and maintain nurturing, nonviolent relationships.

7. Local schools and libraries, adult education programs, businesses and community organizations should make relationship-skills training, including teen dating, conflict and anger management and parenting, available and accessible for males and females through traditional and non-traditional delivery systems.

8. All health care practitioners and social service workers should receive appropriate continuing education to improve their knowledge and skills in universal screening, identification, assessment, intervention and prevention of domestic violence.

9. Local law enforcement and victim service agencies should be encouraged to develop and implement special investigative units and response teams to respond to all domestic violence calls.

10. California should enact legislation requiring continuing education for police, judges and court personnel regarding the seriousness of domestic violence, sensitivity to its victims, and effective interventions.

11. The Attorney General should encourage local law enforcement and prosecution agencies to increase their efforts to vigorously enforce and vertically prosecute domestic violence cases using standardized criminal investigative procedures.

12. The Judicial Council should encourage judges to apply the law allowing them to order individuals who are subject to domestic violence restraining orders to surrender any and all firearms in their possession.

13. State funding for domestic violence and victim service programs should be increased to provide counseling to children who witness domestic violence and other violent incidents.

14. State and local agencies should work with domestic violence programs to increase, develop and coordinate emergency and longer term transitional services for women leaving abusive relationships.

15. Domestic violence programs and local service agencies should make their services available, accessible and culturally sensitive to multicultural and non-English speaking victims.

16. State and local agencies should improve the collection, analysis and sharing of data on domestic violence across all jurisdictions.

17. Convicted domestic violence batterers should be liable for costs of domestic violence shelters and other medical and counseling services rendered to domestic violence victims.

YOUTH

Promote policies and strategies that ensure the development of healthy and responsible youth.

1. California should make prevention and early intervention a top priority through financing and promoting strategies that support positive youth development and resiliency.

2. State and local leaders should involve youth in leadership, decision making and problem-solving capacities.

3. State funding should be increased to support effective local prevention and intervention programs to reduce alcohol and other drug use among youth.

4. Schools, park and recreation departments, businesses and youth-serving organizations should coordinate their resources to expand after-school activities and alternatives for youth.

5. Schools, youth-serving organizations and businesses should coordinate their resources to provide and expand employment training and opportunities for youth.

6. Schools, youth-serving organizations and businesses should coordinate their resources to expose youth to positive role models through mentoring or buddy programs such as Big Brothers/Big Sisters.

7. Schools should integrate multicultural and human relations issues into the curriculum within the existing K-l 2 course of study.

8. Schools should incorporate relationship skills training, including conflict resolution, anger management and dating etiquette, into the existing curriculum.

9. Schools, juvenile justice agencies and youth-serving organizations should develop and expand empathy-building programs such as those that link youth with the elderly, young children or physically challenged youth.

10. Schools and youth-serving organizations should expand programs that build independence, self-esteem and leadership skills among young women and girls.

11. Schools and youth-serving organizations should expand programs that teach boys and men how to develop and maintain nurturing, nonviolent relationships.

12. Youth-serving professionals should be trained in the early risk factors associated with violent behavior, as well as in appropriate interventions and referrals.

13. Funding agencies should provide mandatory training for youth-serving agency personnel in the early risk factors associated with violent behavior, as well as effective interventions and treatment strategies.

14. Schools, parents, police, probation and district attorneys should expand coordinated, effective truancy enforcement and abatement efforts.

15. Schools, police, probation, juvenile courts and youth-serving organizations should be encouraged to collaboratively create a continuum of swift, meaningful interventions to respond to misconduct by juveniles at all levels of severity.

16. County probation departments should be encouraged to adopt intensive first-time and early intervention models that address young minors with multiple problem profiles.

17. Juvenile justice agencies should be encouraged to expand "victim-offender" programs for youthful offenders and at-risk youth to build their empathy for victims by exposing the youth to the impact of their actions.

18. State parole and county probation and social services agencies should be encouraged to develop comprehensive re-entry programs to help wards integrate successfully back into the community.

RESPECT FOR DIVERSITY

Promote policies and strategies that recognize that all people matter, fostering a respect for diversity.

1. An inherent respect for life that recognizes that all people matter should be instilled by modeling and teaching empathy, compassion and caring for others.

2. Acceptance and respect for all people should be instilled by modeling and teaching the value of diversity in gender, age, race and culture, and by countering stereotypes and cultural misconceptions in every possible context.

3. All public serving agencies should provide ongoing, multicultural competency training for their personnel to ensure they treat all individuals with respect and cultural sensitivity.

4. Public administrators should establish personnel practices to recruit and train personnel who reflect the cultural and ethnic diversity of the communities they serve.

PERSONAL AND SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY

Promote policies and strategies that advance personal and social responsibility.

1.Personal responsibility and accountability should be instilled by modeling and teaching honesty, integrity, character, critical thinking, resiliency, self-control, delayed gratification and related issues to children in every possible context.

2. Social responsibility should be instilled by teaching and modeling the importance of civic duty, community service, justice, fairness and the necessity to balance personal gain with community welfare.

3. The private sector should exercise corporate responsibility in product development, advertising and marketing to ensure they do not glamorize or promote violence.

4. State and local policy-makers should offer social and economic incentives for businesses to invest in community health, including affordable housing, vocational skill development, jobs and child care.

5. Public and private employers should provide employees incentives for participation in community service efforts, including mentoring programs, school involvement, tutoring and neighborhood improvement projects.

6. Schools should teach responsible civic participation, implement policies that support community service learning, and include community service as a requirement of all extra curricular activities.

7. Schools, police, probation, juvenile courts and youth-serving organizations should work with communities to collaboratively develop community service programs that can serve as meaningful interventions for youth who have committed school infractions and minor offenses.

RESEARCH AND EVALUATION

Promote policies and strategies to support violence prevention research and evaluation based on the public health model.

1. State and local leaders should create partnerships with communities, a variety of public and private agencies, and universities to incorporate the public health approach into their violence prevention efforts.

2. California should place high priorities on utilizing, modifying, expanding and increasing compatibility of relevant information systems to provide the following:

�Counts and descriptions of violent events that are receiving considerable public attention, but are poorly counted by existing measurement systems. These include, but are not limited to, family violence, personal victimizations in commercial and organizational robberies, violent bias crimes, and violent events in schools.
� More comprehensive recording of sexual violence, including incidents involving intimates, incidents of homicide and wounding in which the sexual component may be masked, and more complete descriptions of recorded events.
� Information on the treatment of violence victims in emergency departments, hospitals and long-term care facilities; links to data on precipitating violent events; links between public health and criminal justice data; and development of these data as a major measurement system.
� Information on long and short-term psychological and financial consequences of violent victimization and links to data on violent events.
� Measurements of violence patterns and trends for small geographic and jurisdictional areas, as baselines for measuring preventive intervention effects.
� Information system modifications to record more detailed attributes of violent events and their participants, in order to facilitate more precise studies of risk factors for violence and evaluations of preventive interventions to reduce it.

3. Public and private agencies and organizations should coordinate and invest in collaborative research to determine what policies and programs will effectively prevent violence before it occurs. All violence prevention efforts should include an impact-evaluation component, a cost-effectiveness component and a "learn-as-we-go" approach that allows for altering the course of action based on evaluation data.

4. Affected communities should be involved in identifying the issues and underlying causes of violence, and in determining the most effective responses and interventions. Violence efforts should include an extensive outreach and educational component and must be evaluated to assess impact and cost-benefit.

5. A Clearinghouse should be established to coordinate sharing and dissemination of violence prevention information, data and resource materials, including descriptions of rigorously evaluated violence prevention efforts provided by public and private funding agencies to demonstrate what works at the local level.

6. California institutions of higher learning should develop and implement programs to train researchers in violence prevention and research.

7. Federal, state and local agencies, both public and private, should redirect funds and resources to the most successful, cost-effective prevention and intervention efforts.

If you would like further information on the subject of violence or this report in its entirety, contact:

Crime & Violence Prevention Center
P.O. Box 944255
Sacramento, Ca. 94244-2550
(916)324-7863