FACT SHEET 3

VIOLENCE

  Overall, the estimated number of gang-problem jurisdictions in the National Youth Gang Survey study population increased 14 percent between 2002 and 2011. An increase occurred in all areas—large and small urban, rural, and suburban areas. Following a marked decline from the mid-1990s to the early 2000s, the prevalence rate of gang activity significantly increased between 2001 and 2005 and has since remained fairly constant (National Gang Center, 2014).

  Gang problems are most widespread in the largest cities in the United States. Specifically, nearly all law enforcement agencies serving cities with populations of 100,000 or more have reported multiple years of gang problems (National Gang Center, 2014).

  According to the National Youth Gang Survey, total gang homicides averaged more than 1,900 each year from 2007 to 2011. The FBI estimates that there are more than 15,500 homicides each year in the United States, suggesting that gang-related homicides account for about 12 percent of all homicides annually (National Gang Center, 2014).

  Cities account for nearly 70 percent of the gang-related homicides, with Chicago and Los Angeles accounting for about one in five from 2010 to 2011 (National Gang Center, 2014).

  For youth aged 10–24, suicide is the third leading cause of death and accounts for about 4,600 lives lost each year (U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention [CDC], 2014a).

  A survey of public and private high-school students found that 16 percent of students reported having seriously considered suicide, 13 percent reported having created a plan, and 8 percent reported having attempted suicide in the 12 months before the survey (CDC, 2014a).

  Boys are more likely than girls to die from suicide: of the reported suicides for youth aged 10–24, males accounted for 81 percent of the deaths. Girls, however, are more likely to report attempting suicide than boys. Among racial and ethnic groups, Native American/Alaskan Native youth have the highest rates of suicide deaths, and Hispanic youth are more likely to report attempting suicide than their African-American and White, non-Hispanic peers (CDC, 2014a).

  Homicide is the second leading cause of death among 15- to 19-year-olds and accounted for 1,832 deaths in 2010. Among 20- to 24-year-olds, homicide is the third leading cause of death (behind unintentional injury and suicide) but accounts for 2,846 deaths (CDC, 2013a).

  According to a CDC report, “From 1994 to 2010, homicide rates were higher among males than females, regardless of age. Homicide rates for males ages 10 to 24 years declined from 25.4 per 100,000 population in 1994 to 12.7 per 100,000 in 2010, yet were consistently higher than homicide rates for males of all ages combined. Homicide rates for females ages 10 to 24 years declined from 4.5 per 100,000 population in 1994 to 2.1 per 100,000 in 2010” (CDC, 2013a).

  Homicide rates were consistently higher for non-Hispanic African-Americans than for all other racial and ethnic groups from 1994 to 2010. Homicide rates for non-Hispanic African-Americans declined from 60.6 per 100,000 population in 1994 to 28.8 per 100,000 in 2010. In 2010, homicide rates were 10.0 per 100,000 for American Indians, 7.9 for Hispanics, 2.1 for Whites, and 1.9 for Asians (CDC, 2013a).

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  Injuries by firearms are similarly disproportionate by race and gender: From 2006 to 2012, males experienced 91 percent of the injuries caused by firearms, while females experienced 9 percent. African-American males experienced 41 percent of firearms injuries, and African American females 4 percent. The numbers for Whites and Hispanics were more comparable: 15 percent and 18 percent of firearm injury victims were White and Hispanic males, respectively, while 2 percent and 1.5 percent of victims were White and Hispanic females, respectively (CDC, 2013b).

  Hate crimes declined from 239,400 in 2003 to 148,400 in 2009. Still, nearly 90 percent of hate crime victimizations occurring between 2003 and 2009 were perceived as racially or ethnically motivated (Langton & Planty, 2011).

  In late 2009, the definition of hate crimes was amended to include crimes of prejudice based on gender or gender identity. Before that, the law only included crimes of prejudice based on race, religion, sexual orientation, ethnicity, or disability. Thus, data prior to 2009 do not include information on gender-based hate crimes (Langton & Planty, 2011).

  “The majority of violent hate crimes were interracial while the majority of nonhate violent crimes were intraracial” (Langton & Planty, 2011).

  Males account for 60 percent of hate crime victims, and females for 40 percent. Whites account for 61 percent of hate crime victims, and African-Americans and Hispanics account for 13 percent and 17 percent, respectively. However, persons of two or more races had the highest rate of hate crime violent victimizations, at 4.0 per 1,000 people ages 12 and older. Whites and African-Americans have a rate of 0.6 per 1,000, and Hispanics a rate of 0.9 per 1,000 (Langton & Planty, 2011).

  Violent crimes account for 87 percent of all hate crimes. Of violent hate crimes, 64 percent are simple assault, and 16 percent are aggravated assault (Langton & Planty, 2011).

  In 2012, the national estimate of unique victims of child abuse and neglect was 686,000. The highest rate of victimization, 21.9 per 1,000 children of the same age group, occurred in children under 1 year old. Boys accounted for 48.7 percent of victimization, and girls for 50.9 percent. Forty-four percent of victims were White, 21.8 percent were Hispanic, and 21.0 percent were African-American (Children’s Bureau, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services [HHS], 2012).

  For 2011, it is estimated that 1,640 children died from abuse and neglect. Just over 70 percent of all child fatalities involved children younger than three years old, and 80.0 percent of fatalities were caused by one or more parents. Boys had a higher child fatality rate than girls—2.54 per 100,000 boys and 1.94 per 100,000 girls in the population. Whites composed 38.3 percent of the child fatalities, African-Americans 31.9 percent, and Hispanics 15.3 percent (Children’s Bureau, HHS, 2012).

  “A 2009 survey of more than 7,000 LGBT middle and high school students aged 13–21 years found that in the past year, because of their sexual orientation, eight of ten students had been verbally harassed at schools, four of ten had been physically harassed at school, six of ten felt unsafe at school, and one of five had been the victim of a physical assault at school” (CDC, 2014b).

  According to the National Intimate Partner and Sexual Violence Survey, “Among adult victims of rape, physical violence, and/or stalking by an intimate partner, 22% of women and 15% of men first experienced some form of partner violence between 11 and 17 years of age” (Black et al., 2011).

References

Black, M. C., Basile, K. C., Breiding, M. J., Smith, S. G., Walters, M. L., Merrick, M. T., Chen, J., Stevens, M. R. (2011). The National Intimate Partner and Sexual Violence Survey (NISVS): 2010 Summary report. Atlanta: National Center for Injury Prevention and Control, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Retrieved from http://www.cdc.gov/violenceprevention/pdf/nisvs_executive_summary-a.pdf

Children’s Bureau, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS). (2012). Child maltreatment 2012. Washington, DC: Administration for Children and Families, Children’s Bureau. Retrieved from http://www.acf.hhs.gov/sites/default/files/cb/cm2012.pdf

Langton, L., & Planty, M. (2011). Special report: Hate crime, 2003–2009. Washington, DC: Office of Justice Programs, Bureau of Justice Statistics. Retrieved from http://www.bjs.gov/content/pub/pdf/hc0309.pdf

National Gang Center. (2014). National youth gang survey analysis, 2002–Present. Retrieved from http://www.nationalgangcenter.gov/Survey-Analysis

U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). (2013a). Youth Violence: National Statistics (Homicide). Retrieved from http://www.cdc.gov/violenceprevention/youthviolence/stats_at-a_glance/national_stats.html

———. (2013b). Web-based injury statistics query & reporting system (WISQARS) nonfatal injury reports, 2001–2012. Retrieved from http://webappa.cdc.gov/sasweb/ncipc/nfirates2001.html

———. (2014a). Injury center: Violence prevention. Suicide prevention: Youth suicide. Retrieved from http://www.cdc.gov/violenceprevention/pub/youth_suicide.html

———. (2014b). Lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender health: Youth. Retrieved from http://www.cdc.gov/lgbthealth/youth.htm.

Source: Jill Salisbury, The Mid-Atlantic Equity Center, Bethesda, MD, April 2014.