Scot Wortley,

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The Roots of ControversyYouth Violence and
Crime Prevention in the Canadian Context

• Scot Wortley,
• Centre of Criminology, University of Toronto
• Being Proactive Supporting Children and Youth
  Mental Health and Wellness in Schools and
  Communities
• Toronto, February 16-17, 2012

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Presentation Outline

• Briefly review major patterns and trends in youth
  violence within the international context.
• Briefly review the research literature on the
  root causes of youth violence.
• Briefly discuss what works with respect to
  youth crime prevention and school safety.

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PUBLIC OPINION

• The vast majority of Canadians believe that
  violence has increased dramatically over the past
  decade.
• Most feel that violence is particularly high
  among young offenders (12-17 years of age).
• Fear of crime is increasing in most major urban
  Centres in Canada.

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Percent of Toronto Youth Who Have Ever
Experienced Various Types of Victimization
Victimization Type Student Street Youth
Theft Under 50 72.1 77.9
Theft Over 50 35.9 60.1
Property Damage 49.8 57.5
Threatened 66.9 84.7
Weapon Threats 28.0 72.5
Death Threats 14.7 60.3
Assaulted 69.6 81.4
Assault Weapon 16.6 59.5
Minor Sex Assault 25.4 48.3
Major Sex Assault 12.4 40.2
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Percent of Toronto Youth Who Have Experienced
Various Types of Victimization in the Past Year
Victimization Type Student Street Youth
Theft Under 50 37.5 63.1
Theft Over 50 15.5 47.6
Property Damage 26.6 44.5
Threatened 39.3 76.1
Weapon Threats 15.5 59.0
Death Threats 8.2 45.3
Assaulted 39.0 68.7
Assault Weapon 7.5 44.3
Minor Sex Assault 13.8 36.1
Major Sex Assault 6.5 28.8
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Percent of Students Who Reported Their Worst
Victimization Experience
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Reasons for Not Reporting Victimization
Experiences
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Percent of Students Who Feel Unsafe When Engaging
in Selected Activities
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Disturbing Trends

• Although official rates of violent crime are low
  by international standards, Canadian surveys
  suggest that most young people will experience
  some form of violent victimization.
• Most violent victimization incidents are never
  reported to parents, police or other adult
  authority figures.
• Recent data suggests that the reporting rate
  for violent victimization has decreased over the
  past decade (no snitching).
• Violent crime is becoming more concentrated among
  young people (under 30 years of age).
• Violent victimization is increasingly
  concentrated among young, minority males from
  disadvantaged communities.

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Disturbing Trends

• Violent crime more likely to take place in public
  spaces.
• Violence more likely to involve firearms.
• Apparent increase in violent gang activity.
• Bullying is a major problem among children.
• New forms of violence emerging virtual
  bullying.
• Increased media coverage of serious crime.
• Increased fear of crime.
• Increasing economic polarization in major urban
  centres. The number and size of poor
  communities is increasing.
• The most economically disadvantaged communities
  are highly racialized.
• IS CANADA AT A CROSSROADS?

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What Causes Youth Violence?The Great Academic
Debate

• Biological theories
• Psychological theories
• Child Development theories
• Rational Choice theories
• Economic/Strain theories
• Opportunity theories
• Social Learning theories
• Labeling theories
• Sub-cultural theories
• Control/Self-control theories
• Conflict perspectives

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RISK FACTORS

• Neurological problems/learning disabilities
• Early childhood development issues (abuse,
  neglect, etc.)
• Poor parenting/parental supervision/fatherlessness
  
• Mental health issues
• Low self-control (need for immediate
  gratification, etc.)
• School failure/difficulties
• Absolute deprivation
• Relative deprivation
• Anger/Frustration/Alienation/Hopelessness
• Deviant peers (exposure to pro-crime values)
• Violent media (exposure to pro-crime values)
• Violent victimization (crime as self-help)
• Criminal opportunities (lack of legitimate
  opportunities)
• Labeling (stigmatization, etc.)

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The Roots of Youth Violence
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The Deep Roots

• Historical Factors (colonialism, slavery, etc.)
• Structural Factors (the economy)
• Social inequality

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The Mid-Level Roots

• Community design and development
• Community crime and disorder
• Victimization
• Peer influences
• Educational issues
• Family Issues
• Contemporary racism
• Lack of economic opportunity
• Issues within the criminal justice system

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The Surface RootsImmediate Risk Factors

• Impulsivity
• Low self-esteem
• Lack of empathy
• Social alienation
• Perceptions of social injustice (external
  attributions of blame)
• Hopelessness/Depression
• Lack of Voice/Cultural isolation

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Diverse Pathways to Youth Violence

• Early Onset/Lifetime Persistent
• Late Onset/Adolescent Limited
• Late Onset/Adult Persistent
• Do different types of youth require different
  prevention strategies?

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The Prevention Controversy

• Tough on Crime advocates put an emphasis on
  detection, deterrence, denunciation and
  incapacitation.
• Soft on Crime advocates call for an emphasis on
  intervention, rehabilitation and prevention.
• There is also a difference between those who
  advocate for prevention through the targeting of
  at risk individuals and those who advocate for
  prevention through meaningful social change and
  community development.
• What strategies should we adopt?

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Tough on CrimeA Double-Edged Sword

• POTENTIAL BENEFITS
• Brings criminals to Justice Can rid
  neighbourhoods of guns, gangs and violent
  individuals at least in the short-term
• POTENTIAL CONSEQUENCES
• Produces alienation and perceptions of social
  injustice Criminalizes youth for minor crimes
  Returns hardened criminals to the same
  disadvantaged communities COST -- Takes money
  away from education, prevention and community
  development strategies.

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School Safety Options

• Zero tolerance strategies
• Police in schools
• Use of security guards and police officers
• Metal Detectors, cameras, sniffer dogs, etc.
• Academic tutoring/special needs programming
• Extra-curricular programming
• Increased school-community-family interface
• Clearly stated and enforced rules
• School engagement policies
• Culture of inclusion even for disruptive youth
• Dedicated, culturally competent staff

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Evaluation Research

• Low quality evaluation (post-test testimonials).
• Medium quality evaluation (pre-test/post-test
  design).
• High Quality Evaluation (pre-test/post
  test/control group).
• The quality of the evaluation also depends on a
  number of other factors including outcome
  measures, data collection strategies, sampling
  decisions, etc.

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Obstacles to Program Evaluation

• Resistance/apathy from Funding agencies
• Resistance/apathy from program administrators and
  staff.
• Competition for limited financial resources.
• Lack of research funds.
• Problems of researcher access.
• Lack of research expertise.
• Lack of public support for research.
• Is Canada anti-research?

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Some Promising Results(from the International
Literature)

• Intensive, long-term, multi-dimensional programs
  are more effective than short-term,
  one-dimensional programs.
• Programs that involve the family (parents,
  siblings, etc.) and the community (including
  pro-social peers) are more effective than
  programs that target youth in isolation.
• Programs must target the needs of specific youth.
  One size does not fit all.
• The delivery of youth services must be
  coordinated.

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Key Recommendations

• Governance and Coordination
• A place-based approach
• The development of community hubs
• Anti-poverty strategy
• An education strategy
• Anti-racism strategy (including the collection of
  race-based statistics)
• A mental health strategy
• Evaluation (as a form of accountability)