The roots of violence

Waking up to a startling headline announcing a tragic act of violence taking place in the world is no longer an uncommon experience for individuals. Whether it is a mass shooting occurring 1,000 miles away or the thefts and gun violence transpiring in the local community, such events have become common affairs citizens of today’s society must face.

Looking at the facts, most of this violence arises from the risky behavior in which young boys involve themselves. Sergeant Andrew Harris of the Davenport Police Department agreed. “On the national and local level, male youths are statistically more likely to be involved in criminal acts than female youth,” Harris said.

In fact, the U.S. Department of Justice sponsored a National Crime Victimization Study in 2007 which found that 75.6 percent of violent offenders were male and only 20.1 percent were female (the remaining 4.3 percent was unidentifiable).

When looking at violence committed by adolescents, the male majority becomes even higher according to Child Trends. Figures like these often cause people to stop and wonder: why are young males more than three times as likely to commit violent crimes than females?

On Aug. 29 and 30, Davenport Mayor Frank Klipsch hosted the Davenport Youth Community Action Summit where he addressed the issues the community currently faces in regards to preteen and teenage violence.

Car thefts have dramatically increased, according to Klipsch, and the death of 16-year old Jovontia Jones of Davenport by gunshot last May was another wake-up call. The mayor explained the underlying reasons for these outbursts from male youth are peer pressure, poverty, mental illness, and a student’s lack of hope for a positive future.

From 1982 to June 28 of this year, over 101 mass shootings have occurred, according to Statistica. Of those 101 incidents, one was conducted by both a male and a female and two were committed by females; this leaves a startling 98 of the 101 events carried out by male shooters.

The Aug. 31 incident at North Scott Junior High in Eldridge, which resulted in an attempted murder charge, was no exception. It involved a 12-year-old boy who allegedly brought a loaded handgun to his school and attempted to shoot his female teacher in the face, but failed when he could not figure out how to turn off the safety.

Crimes likes these do not shock Sergeant Harris. He says, ”Women are violent at a much lower rate than males.” Live Science reports that only eight percent of firearm homicides are committed by females.

Harris concurs that males generally choose to be involved in riskier behavior. He also believes there are ways this behavior can be prevented. “Identifying risky behavior in male children and getting them resources to assist behavior modification, mental health evaluations and mental health treatment if needed, and positive role models in a young male’s life are all vital in preventing the violence of male youth,” he said.