Risk Factors

• A number of risk factors exist.danger, image by Greg Pickens from Fotolia.com
  
  A number of youths who are at risk to become violent face issues that involve their social scenes and other people. For example, associating with delinquent peers is a red flag that the child might become destructive. Other elements include general poverty in the youth's community, poor performances in the school setting and/or negative relationships or multiple problems within the family. Drug, alcohol or tobacco use, which can stem from delinquent friends, are also risk factors.
  
  

Statistics

• The statistics prove the problem.statistics image by bilderbox from Fotolia.com
  
  In a 2007 survey by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), 36 percent of high school students reported being in a physical fight within the past 12 months. In the same survey, 6 percent of high school students reported bringing a gun, knife or club to school in the past 30 days. In 2001, the "Journal of American Medicine" reported that approximately 30 percent of students in the sixth to 10th grade were bullied.
  
  

Violence at School

• School violence is on the decline.school image by dinostock from Fotolia.com
  
  The good news is that crime involving physical harm in schools has been declining since the early 1990s. Furthermore, the CDC announced that less than 1 percent of all homicides of school-age children occur on the school property or on the way to or from school. Schools use teacher hall monitors, random inspections, metal detectors, peer counseling and peer programs to reduce the violence.
  
  

Bullying

• Poor home life can create bullies.Home sweet home image by Jigsaw from Fotolia.com
  
  Bullying is a big problem because it is not as easily controlled as school violence, as bullying can occur in any type of unsupervised setting. According to the National Youth Violence Prevention Resource Center, bullies tending to be confident individuals with high self-esteem who come from homes with little to no involvement or structure from the parents. Youths who are bullied are generally anxious, insecure, have low self-confidence, lack social skills and do not have many social bonds.
  
  

Effects

• Youth violence affects individuals and communities.Hospital sign image by Megan van Dyck from Fotolia.com
  
  Youth violence leads to death and severe injuries such as cuts, bruises, broken bones and gunshot wounds. In addition to the physical suffering, students also suffer emotional trauma from the pain or from bullying. Communities are also affected by the negative impacts of youth violence, as the values of properties decrease, health care costs increase and social services are disturbed.