Study Examines Youth Violence BALTIMORE, MD (wypr) - School truancy is a major factor in youth violence, according to the city Health Department report, which reviewed data over a five-year period from 2002 to 2007.

"If you're not in school, there's a very good chance that you're not being supervised by adults. And adult supervision is so important during the teen years, as far as keeping them out of trouble."

Daniel Webster is an associate professor at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, who has been doing research on youth violence and prevention.

"The other thing that's connected to truancy, of course, is that it says something about your general trajectory. Are you sort of on a path for achievement, or have things gone awry earlier in your schooling that make things difficult for you or make things difficult in that school environment."

The statistics seems to bear this out. A whopping 92-percent of youth victims and perpetrators identified in the study chronically missed classes for at least one academic year. Of that group, more than 62 percent had either been suspended or expelled from school. And nearly 40 percent were two or more academic years behind.

On average, nearly 30 youths, 17-years-old or younger, were homicide victims each year of the study, with another 82 being victims of non-fatal shootings. According to the study, 30 juveniles were arrested, convicted or adjudicated for murder or attempted murder.


The study also said a majority of the victims and perpetrators of homicides or other violent crimes, were previously referred to state agencies. More than 70 percent of the study population had a history of referrals to the Department of Juvenile Services, or DJS. More than half were placed under DJS supervision prior to committing or being the victim of a murder or other violent crime.

DJS secretary Don Devore said his agency sees 53,000 youth in a year. And the study lacks specific details about what services his agency provided the study population.

"That doesn't mean that we ever saw them. That doesn't mean that we ever had them under supervision, we ever evaluated them, or whatever. It's just a very gross generalization."

Devore, who had seen preliminary data as the study was being compiled, said his agency was aware of existing trends and created the Violence Prevention Initiative two years ago. The program identifies 200 youth who are at risk of being victims or perpetrators violent crimes and places them under probation and supervision. And so far, he added, it's paying off.

"We have seen a very significant reduction in the homicide rate in Baltimore city for kids. Last year, in Baltimore city, there were 13 youth that lost their lives, last year, at this time. And this year, there's only been nine."

A number of other initiatives have already been implemented as well, including an anti-truancy system initiated within the Baltimore City public schools by CEO Dr. Andres Alonso, which provides child-serving agencies with up to the minute updates on student attendance.

In addition, the city, with the cooperation with the University of Baltimore law school, has established a truancy court, which deals with truant elementary and middle school students.

Sheryl Goldstein, the director of the Mayor's Office on Criminal Justice, said the Health Department study provides hope that juvenile violence can be reduced.

"The early intervention is really key, focusing on kids in the elementary and early middle school years is a really good target population to get them on the right track and make sure they don't become chronic truants."

But these pro-active initiatives to curb truancy have only been implemented recently. It will take time to judge if they are effective against a problem of violent juvenile crimes that has, so far, defied solution.

I'm Sunni Khalid, reporting in Baltimore, for 88-1, WYPR.

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