Youth Violence on a Decline, Despite Recent Shootings

By: Matt MillerThe news:

A spate of shootings among teens in Chicago since the summer has spurred outrage and remorse about youth gun crime.

Behind the news:

Individuals under 21 accounted for nearly 44 percent of all arrests for weapons violations in Chicago, according to the latest annual report by the Chicago Police Department, released in 2006. According to the 2006 American Community Survey, the same age group made up 29 percent of the city’s population. Those who are 16 or younger accounted for roughly 20 percent of all weapons violations—including carrying and possessing handguns—while those aged 17 to 20 accounted for about 24 percent.

While those ratios may be high, gun violations among youth have been diminishing in recent years. Weapons violations by individuals under 21 dropped nearly 29 percent between 1999 and 2005, decreasing at a greater rate than the overall city rate.

The decline in youth gun crime corresponds to a broader decline in arrests among young people in the city. Total arrests for those under 21 decreased by more than 20 percent between 1999 and 2005. Murders and non-negligent manslaughters declined by more than 58 percent among those under 21 from 1999 to 2005.

Yet a decline in arrest rates should not always be interpreted to accurately indicate a decline in real occurrence of that crime, said Tio Hardiman, director of mediation services at CeaseFire, which seeks to end violence through community outreach. Hardiman said his organization had successfully mediated 186 current and potential violent conflicts in 2007 as of November.

Roughly two-thirds of the cases Hardiman has dealt with in the past year have involved those under 21. He said that increased access to guns, coupled with a lack of conflict-mediation skills, has led many young people to resort to violence, particularly within gangs. “These kids don’t have any conflict-resolution skills,” he said. “They’re afraid the other will shoot, so they shoot first.”

Hardiman also said that gangs—composed largely of young people—are no longer run by distinct headmen because of leaders’ fears of being targeted. This can lead to a surge in shootings as a result of greater disorder and renegade violence within the community.

“Shootings are not talked about on a street level,” said Hardiman, explaining how actual shootings may be on the rise even if arrests are down. “Nobody wants to break the code of silence of the streets.”