Sociocultural issues and youth violence

Abstract

In recent years, American communities have witnessed an increase in school violence. While violence in schools is not a new phenomenon the extremity of acts committed by youths is. Researchers from various disciplines have attempted to find the root cause of youth violence in general. Several factors ranging from individual to cultural have been suggested as being strong predictors of youth violence. Still, there is paucity in research documenting the variable differences between diverse ethnic groups. This paper evaluated whether differences in school violence predictors exist among different adolescent ethnic groups. We decided to focus on adolescents/youths due to the recent school crimes committed by individuals belonging to such groups. Through an extensive literature search, the authors present the reader with a vignette of school violence today. Lastly, we provide policy recommendations for combating this social ill.