Revising Moynihan's Theory on Violence in the Black Community:   What Works in Reducing the Incidences of Violence in the Community?

Revising Moynihan's Theory on Violence in the Black Community:   What Works in Reducing the Incidences of Violence in the Community?

Revising Moynihan's Theory on Violence in the Black Community:  What Works in Reducing the Incidences of Violence in the Community?

Abstract
The world we live in is in a simple word; crazy. Parents strive to work harder and offer their children a better life, but in this, they seem to forget that their offspring need other things aside from money; namely attention, love and care. When these are absent, some teenagers turn to other sources of support and often engage in criminal behavior. The juvenile court system is struggling to identify petty crimes as well as more serious ones and reintegrate the adolescents as members of the society. However, once one has fallen victim to engaging in criminal behavior, many teenagers find it difficult to turn their lives around. For instance, a report of the Bureau of Justice Statistics, at the U.S. Department of Justice (2004) revealed that 50 percent of all inmates eventually return to prison for committing other crimes. While criminal behavior is present in all communities, the rates are statistically higher in the Black ones. The reason for it could be that of an improper raising, unsatisfied needs, personal feelings of frustration or, as put by a teenage shooter, the desire for “power, authority, respect […] support and identity” (Hall, 1993).
Introduction
The matter of injuries caused by violent interactions has been gaining more interest in the public eye. It is now being considered a major public health problem and proof of this is shown by the numerous studies conducted by various agencies, including the CDC (Center for Disease Control and Prevention). “This attention has produced improved understanding of the scope of the injury burden, with an increasing focus of studies and interventions on specific injury types and settings, particularly related to unintentional injuries” (American Journal of Public Health, 1994).
Despite the growing rates of criminality among adolescents of all ethnicities, the black...

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