Addressing the Roots of Youth Violence Dr. Scot Wortley Centre of Criminology, University of Toronto Metropolis Priority Leader: Justice, Policing and Security

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.

Disturbing Trends Violent crime more likely to take place in public spaces. Violence more likely to involve firearms. Apparent increase in gang activity. Increasing economic polarization in major Canadian urban centres. The most economically disadvantaged communities are highly racialized. IS CANADA AT ACROSSROADS?

The Roots Causes of Youth Violence Early childhood development Mental health issues Poor parenting/parental supervision Absolute and relative deprivation Anger/Frustration/Alienation/Hopelessness Deviant peers (exposure to pro-crime values) Violent media (exposure to pro-crime values) Lack of pro-social role models Labelling Criminal opportunities Lack of legitimate opportunites

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?

Shopping for Programs Suppression strategies Surveillance strategies Early childhood education programs Parenting programs Adult mentoring programs Youth mentoring Programs Educational enhancement programs Youth employment programs Youth engagement programs – sports, arts, culture and other recreation strategies.

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.

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.

Obstacles to Program Evaluation Resistance from Funders. Resistance from program administrators and staff. Competition for limited funds. Lack of research funds. Lack of research expertise. Lack of public support or understanding. Is Canada “anti-research”?

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.

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