Free Essays on Teen Violence

A major social problem that is facing the United States at present is â€Å"Teen Violence†. Teen Violence effects all age groups in society; the victims of their crimes are not always teens. Nationwide, it is estimated that there are as many as 31,000 street gangs with a total membership of 846,000. In addition, almost three-quarters of cities with populations of more than 25,000 reported youth gangs in 1996. ("The 1996 National Youth Gang Survey," OJJDP Fact Sheet #86, Nov. 1998). This is a number that is rising steadily. Teens look to gangs as a means of protection from violence. As more teens look to gangs as a way of fitting in or feeling safe from the other teens around them, teen violence will always be a problem in society. Violence is defined as the act of purposefully hurting someone or oneself. It is a learned behavior and Violence creates a cycle where we all end up affected in one way or another. Some teens can learn this at an early age. Violence represents acts in which a person gets hurt; there are more people getting hurt from teen violence than ever before. Between the years 1985 to 1994, the murder rate by teens rose by 172 percent ( FBI, Supplementary Homicide Reports). Teen violence need not hurt a person physically; it can also damage them psychologically, sexually or socially. Violence has even become the primary cause of death for American teens. Nearly 80% of all teenage deaths are the result of violence( FBI, Supplementary Homicide Reports). Violence is a learned behavior. It can be reinforced consciously or unconsciously by family, peers or the media. While the teen population is on the decline teen violence is increasing at an alarming rate. Guns and especially handguns have played a major role in youth crime. The number of teen killings has quadrupled since 1984. When teens use violence against other teens they are not only hurting them physically but physiologically. A teen can feel violat... Free Essays on Teen Violence Free Essays on Teen Violence A major social problem that is facing the United States at present is â€Å"Teen Violence†. Teen Violence effects all age groups in society; the victims of their crimes are not always teens. Nationwide, it is estimated that there are as many as 31,000 street gangs with a total membership of 846,000. In addition, almost three-quarters of cities with populations of more than 25,000 reported youth gangs in 1996. ("The 1996 National Youth Gang Survey," OJJDP Fact Sheet #86, Nov. 1998). This is a number that is rising steadily. Teens look to gangs as a means of protection from violence. As more teens look to gangs as a way of fitting in or feeling safe from the other teens around them, teen violence will always be a problem in society. Violence is defined as the act of purposefully hurting someone or oneself. It is a learned behavior and Violence creates a cycle where we all end up affected in one way or another. Some teens can learn this at an early age. Violence represents acts in which a person gets hurt; there are more people getting hurt from teen violence than ever before. Between the years 1985 to 1994, the murder rate by teens rose by 172 percent ( FBI, Supplementary Homicide Reports). Teen violence need not hurt a person physically; it can also damage them psychologically, sexually or socially. Violence has even become the primary cause of death for American teens. Nearly 80% of all teenage deaths are the result of violence( FBI, Supplementary Homicide Reports). Violence is a learned behavior. It can be reinforced consciously or unconsciously by family, peers or the media. While the teen population is on the decline teen violence is increasing at an alarming rate. Guns and especially handguns have played a major role in youth crime. The number of teen killings has quadrupled since 1984. When teens use violence against other teens they are not only hurting them physically but physiologically. A teen can feel violat... Free Essays on Teen Violence After the recent shooting incidents involving teens in public schools, several civil suits have been filed against filmmaker’s, production companies, and movie studios of such films as Oliver Stone’s â€Å"Natural Born Killers†. This film contained scenes where teens murdered their fellow classmates in their high school. The lawsuits charge that films such as this influence youth to copy these acts. I feel that the artists of such films should not be held responsible for the criminal acts of teens. Instead, parents and adults should pay closer attention to what their children watch and listen to, and explain to them that the violence on television and the violent lyrics in songs are only for the purpose of entertainment. The artists and makers of violent films and songs should not be held responsible for violence amongst youth because they are protected by the first amendment of free speech and have a right to express their thoughts without being sued. Parents have the right to choose what they want their child to view and listen to. Films are rated and compact discs come with warning labels for a reason. It is to assist the parent in deciding whether they want to expose their child to such material. It even prevents children from having access to such material without their parents’ permission. Artists cannot be held responsible for what a child sees or hears because the artists cannot be aware of every child’s reaction to the material. They do not know whether their material will influence this child or that child in a negative way. The artist should not be held responsible if an individual misconstrues the message in the material. It is the parent’s duty to find out what thei r child sees and listens to, and ultimately it is the child’s decision whether to copy what it has seen or heard and that decision is his choice and his choice alone. It is an unrealistic idea to sue companies for producing violent material because...