Gutierrez 1

Gabriel Gutierrez
Mrs. Bevill
ENGL 1302-11
13 April 2015
Armed and Youthful
Adolescent violence, experience with the subject or not, is a growing concern with
parents. Adolescent violence are violent acts involving teenagers and young adults who have
brought harm physically otherwise emotionally damage to others or are having the abuse target
towards them. Adolescent violence can come in many shapes and forms it is important to parents
as well as students to know the sign before things get out of hand, leading to the decrease in
academic scores, relationships with family and friends, joining gangs and committing gang
related activity, as well as tragic events like school shootings and suicides.
Youth/ adolescent violence can mean being an abuser, a victim or even a witness.
Although injuries to a child can leave visible and physical signs of harm, its easy to forget about
the emotional and physiological damage that can be afflicted onto youth as well. Some
consequences of violence may be alcohol and drug use, as well as many physiological problems
like anxiety and fear can occur. According to a 2009 study by Bullyingstatistics.org 44 percent
of middle schools reported bullying problems, compared to just over 20 percent of both
elementary and high schools. The 2009 study also reports on documented incidents that can
come from youth violence (Bullyingstatistics.2009).
Many different factors cause violent behavior. Author of the book Violence in American
Schools: A New Perspective Delbert S. Elliott expressed concern for the safety of American
educational institutions saying;

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On a daily basis, many students, parents, and teachers are aware of the threats or
bullying and they experience pervasive anxiety about violence. (Delbert. 1998)
Delbert is certainly correct about the leakage of violence into the school system, However
she is not the only one taking notice in the growing statistics of violence occurring in schools.
Teens are taking notice themselves and taking precautions. According to the 2011 center of
Disease Control and Prevention use the risk behavior surveillance survey, 16.6% of high school
students carry a weapon at least once during the 30 days before they were surveyed. 7.4%
reported that they have been threatened or injured with a weapon (CDC.2011). Experts at the
American Psychological Association say that its human nature to protect ones self and the more
violent factors that are present in your life the more likely you are to commit an act of violence.
Being in an environment where violence happens often can lead to nervousness and fear, it even
lead teens down the path of joining a gang. Gangs exist because people need protection from
those who mean harm. Gangs offer a sense of family and security for a person. Gangs however
often ask individuals to commit violent acts against other gangs or criminal activity in return for
the protection. School becomes a more of a survival game and less about learning academics.
This is a direct cause for the decrease in academic performance of youth experiencing violence
in schools.
Children and teens are arming themselves with weapons, and with so many arms on
school grounds its only natural that an item for such a use like protecting an individual would be
used mistakenly and in some cases. Fatally. . According to the CDC's School Associated Violent
Death Study, between 1% and 2% of all homicides among school-age children happen on school
grounds or during a school sponsored event (CDC 2011). , So the vast majority of students will
never experience this type of tragic event, however it does unfortunately occur. . Looking at a

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study from 2001 found that 55% of U.S. homes with children and firearms have one or more
firearms in an unlocked place; 43% have guns without a trigger lock in an unlocked place
(Statistics on Youth Gun Violence. 2012). 5,486 young people ages 10 to 24 were murdered, an
average of 15 each day. 79% of homicide victims ages 10 to 24 were killed with firearms (CDC
2004). Both eye opening studies for parents who have unlocked firearms and children within
their residents. Children who can get ahold of firearms to use for gang and violent activities,
even for protection purposes are putting themselves at risk when doing so.
Tarter, Ralph E study with how adolescent violence effects the family says that some
younger children require more parent involvement when making the transition to adulthood, and
with more parental dysfunctionality the odds of that child becoming more violent is increased
(Tarter.2002). The purpose of Dr. Tartars study was to observe childhood characteristics and
eventually create an efficient population screening for violence prevention (Tarter.2002).
Essentially Dr. Tarter was going to create some form of test that could determine future violent
behaviors in adolescence.
It is always important to know the find the violence to keep it from becoming
progressively worse and leading to serious incidents. Some signs may include a decrease
averages among grades and the distance thing from friends and loved ones. It is important to
never ignore a sign and talk to who might have such problems. It also is recommended that you
take any victim of violence to therapy or to see a specialist. Becoming a victim of violence is
always an issue as well. If you feel that you're in danger contact proper authorities to protect you.
Never act violently back or carry a weapon to protect yourself. Experts at the American
Psychological Association have given tips to adolescents who feel like they are going through a
violent stage

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The first is to learn to talk to children who might be experiencing a problem with
violence, either at home or in school about their feelings. Find someone you can trust and
express feelings one-on-one. It might be difficult but always express feelings calmly. When
replying to someone always remember to keep a response safe and reasonable to avoid fighting
and heated conversation. The third is to listen with an open mind. Listen careful to the opposing
partys problem and assess the situation without getting upset from negative feedback. The final
tip is to negotiate. Try and work out problems with someone else by looking at alternative
solutions and compromises. Always stay calm and remember a conversation can be paused if
things get heated.
There is no one reason for violence, but with that there are many solutions that can be
done to prevent it. Become educated on the subject. Felling threatened at school or home? Seek
help from proper authorities. Always be aware that having a weapon can put others in harms
way and that there are alternatives to carrying a weapon.

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Works Cited
"School Violence: Data & Statistics." Center for Disease. CDC, 27 Oct. 2014. Web. 6 Apr. 2015.

"Info on Preventing Bullying, Harassment, Online/Social Bullying, and School Bullies."

Bullying Statistics. 17 Aug. 2009. Web. 7 Apr. 2015

"Statistics on Youth Gun Violence & Gun Access." Law Center to Prevent Gun Violence. 15
Nov. 2012. Web. 7 Apr. 2015

Valois, Robert F., et al. "Risk factors and behaviors associated with adolescent violence and
aggression." American journal of health behavior 26.6 (2002): 454-464.

Elliott, Delbert S., Beatrix A. Hamburg, and Kirk R. Williams, eds. Violence in American
schools: A new perspective. Cambridge University Press, 1998.

Tarter, Ralph E., et al. "Predicting adolescent violence: impact of family history, substance use,
psychiatric history, and social adjustment." American journal of psychiatry 159.9 (2002):
1541-1547.