Urban Youth Violence

Urban youth violence has become important and threatening enough to be declared a public health issue: a threat to the physical safety of urban dwellers (especially youth). 

The recent epidemic of youth violence began during the 1980s, a period of economic prosperity.  Since then, homicide rates—the most obvious indicator of youth violence—have declined significantly since their peak in 1993. But other indicators (such as aggravated assault rates as well as youths' confidential self-reporting of violent crimes) are still much higher than pre-epidemic levels.  Youth are still engaged in consistently violent behavior, indicating that there is still a strong possibility violence could again spiral out of control. 


View our recent review of the 2001 Surgeon General's Report on Youth Violence, as well as an extensive resource page, including links to national youth violence statistics from the FBI, youth violence intervention programs, as well as recent studies of youth violence in Boston, Massachusetts.