I’ve been following some of the media coverage on the recent beating death of Derrion Albert, a Chicago high school honors student. Like most people, I am saddened by yet another seemingly senseless loss of a young life. I am also hopeful that lasting social change to end youth violence will take root and grow in America. As a scholar who has spent the last 15 years conducting research on what youth are thinking in the moment when conflict erupts and then escalates into violence I am struck by how long it has taken for this issue to get noticed as unacceptable. We have the knowledge we need to solve this problem. We have known of the damaging effects of growing up in a high violence neighborhood for years yet we have not put in place the infrastructure to dismantle the reality that many of our youth face with regard to safety. The U.S. Department of Justice has funded some of the best research that gets us deep into the experiences of youth caught up in violence. The youth violence study I recently completed for the National Institute of Justice is just one example (Wilkinson, 2009). It was a unique study because it uncovered how group process and bystander behavior can facilitate violence among youth. The study also informs what adults who want to reach youth need to know about what social cues youth read in situations, how they perceive potentially dangerous situations, and what role violence plays in their day-to-day existence. NIJ has also funded evaluation studies of numerous strategies that are effective in significantly reducing youth violence through comprehensive community-based approaches. Violence is learned behavior. In the absence of alternative conflict resolution modelling youth are doing what they see others doing. As a society we can break the cycle of violence through investing our time, money, and patience in teaching youth peaceful alternatives. Most of the 416 young men I interviewed wanted to change their lives, to live safely without violence, and to provide better futures for their children. I hope people will turn to this research for guidance and a deeper understanding of the complex issues youth are facing. There are many facets to youth violence. For role models and mentors to reach youth caught up in what some describe as a violent culture they will need understanding and patience.

References

• Wilkinson, D. L. (2009). Event Dynamics and the Role of Third Parties in Youth Violence. Final Report submitted to the U.S. Department of Justice, National Institute of Justice. Grant #: 2006-IJ-CX-0004. Columbus, Ohio. May 28. 300+ pages.
• Wilkinson, D. L. (2009). Event Dynamics and the Role of Third Parties in Youth Violence. Executive Summary Report submitted to the U.S. Department of Justice, National Institute of Justice. Grant #: 2006-IJ-CX-0004. Columbus, Ohio. May 28. 18 pages.
• Wilkinson, D.L., Beaty, C., and Lurry R.M. (2009). Youth Violence€”Crime or Self-Help?: Marginalized Urban Males Perspectives on the Limited Efficacy of Criminal Justice System to Stop Youth Violence. The Annals of the American Academy of Political & Social Science. Volume 623 May: 25-38.
• Wilkinson, D.L., McBryde, M.S., Williams, B., Bloom, S. and Bell, K. (2009). Peers and gun use among urban adolescent males: An examination of social embeddedness. Journal of Contemporary Criminal Justice 25(1): 20-44.
• Wilkinson, D.L. and Carr, P.J. (2008). Violent Youths’ Responses to High Levels of Exposure to Community Violence: What Violent Events Reveal about Youth Violence. Journal of Community Psychology. 36: 1026-1051.
• Wilkinson, D.L. (2007). Local Social Ties and Willingness to Intervene: Textured Views among Violent Urban Youth of Neighborhood Social Control Dynamics and Situations. Justice Quarterly. 24(2): 185-220.
• Fagan, J., Wilkinson, D.L., and Davies, G. Social Contagion of Violence. (2007). In Flannery, D., Vazsonyi, A., & Waldman, I. (eds.). The Cambridge Handbook of Violent Behavior and Aggression. Cambridge, UK: Cambridge University Press. p. 688-723.