The Review of the Roots of Youth Violence: Reflections of a Researcher

1. The Review of the Roots of Youth Violence:Reflections of a Researcher Scot Wortley Associate Professor Centre of Criminology, University of Toronto Metropolis Priority Leader: Justice, Policing and Security

2. Research Tasks • Document trends and patterns in youth violence. • Review the research literature on the “root causes” of youth violence. • Review the “program evaluation” literature and help identify “best practices” for combating youth violence. • Produce an “inventory” of “violence prevention” programs funded by the Ontario government. • Observe community consultations and consultations with “youth experts.”

11. 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.

12. Disturbing Trends • Violent crime more likely to take place in public spaces. • Violence more likely to involve firearms. • Apparent increase in gang activity. • Increased media coverage of serious crime. • Increased fear of crime. • Increasing economic polarization in major urban centres. • The most economically disadvantaged communities are highly racialized. • IS ONTARIO AT A CROSSROADS?

13. What Causes Youth Violence? • Biological theories • Psychological theories • Child Development theories • Rational Choice • Economic/Strain theories • Opportunity theories • Social Learning theories • Sub-cultural theories • Control/Self-control theories • Conflict perspectives

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

15. Diverse Pathways to Youth Violence • Early Onset/Lifetime Persistent • Late Onset/Adolescent Limited • Late Onset/Adult Persistent • Do different types of youth require different types of programming?

16. THE ROOTS REPORT:Immediate Risk Factors • Impulsivity • Low self-esteem • Lack of empathy • Alienation • Perceptions of injustice (external attributions of blame) • Hopelessness • Lack of Voice

17. The “Roots” • Poverty • Community design • Educational issues • Family Issues • Racism • Health and Mental Health issues • Lack of economic opportunity • Issues in the criminal justice system

18. Shopping for Programs • Suppression/Enforcement strategies • Surveillance strategies • Early childhood development programs • Parent training programs • Adult mentoring programs • Youth (peer) mentoring Programs • Anti-violence training/education • Educational enhancement programs • Youth employment/career development programs • Youth engagement programs – sports, arts, culture and other recreation strategies.

19. 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.

20. The Canadian Evaluation Record • Many programs are funded by various levels of government and private foundations. • Besides financial audits and “output” reports, very few programs are evaluated at all. • Most of the evaluations that are conducted fit into the “low quality” category. • It is therefore very difficult to determine whether these programs meet their stated objectives or not.

21. Obstacles to Program Evaluation • Resistance/apathy from Funding agencies • Resistance/apathy program 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”?

22. 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.

23. Key Recommendations • Governance and Coordination • A “place-based” approach • The development of community hubs • Anti-poverty strategy • Anti-racism strategy (including the collection of race-based statistics) • A mental health strategy • Evaluation (as accountability) • Systemic review of the implementation of the Review’s recommendation

24. A Final Note on Evaluation • In order to develop “best practices,” evaluation needs to become a standard part of program design, implementation and development. • Programs should be given the opportunity to evolve through evaluation. A “poor” evaluation should not “doom” a program or an organization.