The FACTS on violence and bullying our communities
This
page is to provide statistical facts about the conditions young
people face each day in their communities and environment. There
is a lot of information here so please take time to read and get
familiar with the facts.
BULLYING STATISTICS Source: http://www.atriumsoc.org
• Thirty percent (30%) of U.S. students in grades six through ten are involved in moderate or frequent bullying — as bullies, as victims, or as both — according to the results of the first national survey on this subject.
• Bullying is increasingly viewed as an important contributor to youth violence, including homicide and suicide. Case studies of the shooting at Colombine High School and other U.S. schools have suggested that bullying was a factor in many of the incidents.
RECENT STATISTICS SHOW THAT:
Source:
http://www.atriumsoc.org
• 1 out of 4 kids is Bullied. The American Justice Department says that this month 1 out of every 4 kids will be abused by another youth.
• Surveys Show That 77% of students are bullied mentally, verbally, & physically.
• In a recent study, 77% of the students said they had been bullied. And 14% of those who were bullied said they experienced severe (bad) reactions to the abuse.
• 1 out of 5 kids admits to being a bully, or doing some "Bullying."
• 8% of students miss 1 day of class per month for fear of Bullies.
• 43% fear harassment in the bathroom at school.
• 100,000 students carry a gun to school.
• 28% of youths who carry weapons have witnessed violence at home.
• A poll of teens ages 12-17 proved that they think violence increased at their schools.
• 282,000 students are physically attacked in secondary schools each month.
• More youth violence occurs on school grounds as opposed to on the way to school.
• Playground statistics - Every 7 minutes a child is bullied. Adult intervention - 4%. Peer intervention - 11%. No intervention - 85%.
ACCORDING TO THE BUREAU OF JUSTICE STATISTICS - School Crime and Safety:
Source:
http://www.atriumsoc.org
• 46% of males, and 26% of females reported they had been in physical fights.
• Those in the lower grades reported being in twice as many fights as those in the higher grades. However, there is a lower rate of serious violent crimes in the elementary level than inÊthe middle or high schools.
• Teenagers say revenge is the strongest motivation for school shootings
• 87% said shootings are motivated by a desire to "get back at those who have hurt them."
• 86% said, "other kids picking on them, making fun of them or bullying them" causes teenagers to turn to lethal violence in the schools.
• Students recognize that being a victim of abuse at home or witnessing others being abused at home may cause violence in school.
• 61% said students shoot others because they have been victims of physical abuse at home.
• 54% said witnessing physical abuse at home can lead to violence in school.
• Students say their schools are not safe.
STATS 2001: SELECTED SCHOOL VIOLENCE RESEARCH FINDINGS FROM 2001 SOURCES
Source:
http://www.atriumsoc.orgl
• According to the latest poll, thirty-two percent of parents fear for their child's physical safety when the child is at school. Thirty-nine percent of parents with a child in grade six or higher are more likely to say they fear for their child's safety. Twenty-two percent of parents whose children are in grade five or lower fear for their child's safety. (Parents Not Overly Concerned About School Environments for Their Children, Gallup News Service, 2001)
• Bullying generally begins in the elementary grades, peaks in the sixth through eight grades, and persists into high school. (Addressing the Problem of Juvenile Bullying, Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention, 2001)
• Among students, homicide perpetrators were more than twice as likely as homicide victims to have been bullied by peers. (School-Associated Violent Deaths in the United States 1994-1999, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and U.S. Departments of Education and Justice, 2001; findings published by the Journal of the American Medical Association, 2001)
• Overall, almost eleven percent of a representative sample of youth reported bullying others sometimes, and almost nine percent admitted to bullying others once a week or more. Experiencing bullying was reported with similar frequency, with almost nine percent bullied sometimes and just over eight percent bullied once a week or more. (Bullying Behaviors Among US Youth, Journal of the American Medical Association, 2001)
• Of a representative sample of youth, almost thirty percent reported some type of involvement in moderate or frequent bullying, as a bully, a target of bullying, or both. (Bullying Behaviors Among US Youth, Journal of the American Medical Association, 2001)
• Bullying was reported as more prevalent among males than females and occurred with greater frequency among middle school-aged youth than high school-aged youth. For males, both physical and verbal bullying was common, while for females, verbal bullying and rumors were more common. (Bullying Behaviors Among US Youth, Journal of the American Medical Association, 2001)
• Research shows that those who bully and are bullied appear to be at greatest risk of experiencing the following: loneliness; trouble making friends; lack of success in school; and involvement in problem behaviors such as smoking and drinking. (Addressing the Problem of Juvenile Bullying, Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention, 2001)
•
Seventy-four percent of 8 - to 11-year-old students said teasing
and bullying occur at their schools. (Talking With Kids About Tough
Issues: A National Survey of Parents and Kids, Kaiser Family Foundation
and Nickelodeon, 2001)
• Though recent studies show that as many as seventy-five percent of children have been victims of bullying during their school careers, about half of parents in this survey see bullying as no problem for their children. (Are We Safe?: The 2000 National Crime Prevention Survey, National Crime Prevention Council, 2001)
• Thirty-nine percent of middle schoolers and thirty-six of high schoolers say they don't feel safe at schools. (2000 Report Card: Report #1, The Ethics of American Youth: Violence and Substance Abuse: Data & Commentary, Josephson Institute of Ethics, 2001)
Selected School and Youth Violence Statistics School Violence
Source: http://www.ncdjjdp.org/cpsv
•
From July 1, 2004 through June 30, 2005, there were 48 school-associated
deaths in elementary and secondary schools in the United States.
(Indicators of School Crime and Safety: 2006, U.S. Departments of
Education and Justice, 2006) http://www.ojp.usdoj.gov/bjs/abstract/iscs06.htm
¥ Incidents of crime are reported at 96 percent of high schools,
94 percent of middle schools, and 74 percent of primary schools.
(Crime, Violence, Discipline and Safety in U.S. Public Schools:
Findings from the School Survey on Crime and Safety: 2003-04, National
Center for Education Statistics, 2006) http://nces.ed.gov/pubsearch/pubsinfo.asp?pubid=2007302rev
• Six and one half percent of students surveyed reported that they had carried a weapon on school property within the last thirty days, while 18 percent said they carried a weapon anywhere during the past month. (2005 Youth Risk Behavior Survey Results, Center for Disease Control, 2006) http://www.cdc.gov/HealthyYouth/yrbs/
• Six percent of students had not gone to school on one or more of the 30 days preceding the survey because they felt they would be unsafe at school or on their way to or from school. (2005 Youth Risk Behavior Survey Results, Center for Disease Control, 2006) http://www.cdc.gov/HealthyYouth/yrbs/
•
The percentage of public schools experiencing one or more violent
incidents increased between the 1999-2000 and 2003-04 school years,
from 71 to 81 percent. (Indicators of School Crime and Safety: 2006,
U.S. Departments of Education and Justice, 2006) http://www.ojp.usdoj.gov/bjs/abstract/iscs06.htm
• Youth surveyed for the annual Uhlich Report Card graded adults for the following questions: o 30.5% graded a C for protecting kids and teen from gun violence o 30.3% graded a B and 30.2% graded a C for keeping schools safe from violence and crime o 32.7% graded a C for getting rid of gangs (The Uhlich Report Card: America's Youth Grade Adults, Uhlich Children's Home of Chicago, 2004) http://www.ucanchicago.org
• Over 78 percent of School Resource Officers attending the annual NASRO Conference reported they had taken a weapon from a student on school property in the past year. (NASRO 2004 National School-Based Law Enforcement Survey, National Association of School Resource Officers, 2004) http://www.schoolsecurity.org/resources/nasro_survey_2004.html
• More than 35 percent of School Resource Officers surveyed at the annual NASRO Conference said that violent incidents on school buses had increased in their districts during the past two years. (NASRO 2004 National School-Based Law Enforcement Survey, National Association of School Resource Officers, 2004) http://www.schoolsecurity.org/resources/nasro_survey_2004.html
Victimization
Source: http://www.ncdjjdp.org/cpsv
•
Nationwide, 29.8 percent of students had their property (e.g., car,
clothing, or books) stolen or deliberately damaged on school property
one or more times during the twelve months preceding the survey.
(2005 Youth Risk Behavior Survey Results, Center for Disease Control,
2006) http://www.cdc.gov/HealthyYouth/yrbs/
• In 2005, four percent of students ages 12-18 reported being victimized at school during the past six months. Approximately three percent reported theft, one percent reported violent victimization, and less than half of a percent reported serious violent victimization. (Indicators of School Crime and Safety: 2006, U.S. U.S. Departments of Education and Justice, 2006) http://www.ojp.usdoj.gov/bjs/abstract/iscs06.htm
• The percentage of students who were threatened or injured with a weapon has fluctuated between 7 to 9 percent in all survey years from 1993 through 2005. (Indicators of School Crime and Safety: 2006, U.S. Departments of Education and Justice, 2006) http://www.ojp.usdoj.gov/bjs/abstract/iscs06.htm
• Students' likelihood of being threatened or injured with a weapon on school property was examined by race/ethnicity. In 2003, American Indian students (22%) were more likely than Black (11%), Hispanic (9%), and White (8%) students to report being threatened or injured with a weapon on school property. (Indicators of School Crime and Safety: 2005, U.S. Departments of Education and Justice, 2005) http://nces.ed.gov/programs/crimeindicators/Indicators.asp?PubPageNumber=4
• In 2003-04, 10 percent of teachers in central city schools were threatened with injury by students, compared with 6 percent of teachers in urban fringe schools and 5 percent of teachers in rural schools. Five percent of teachers in central city schools were attacked by students, compared with 3 percent of teachers in urban fringe and 2 percent of teachers in rural schools. (Indicators of School Crime and Safety: 2006, U.S. Departments of Education and Justice, 2006) http://www.ojp.usdoj.gov/bjs/abstract/iscs06.htm
Gangs
Source:
http://www.ncdjjdp.org/cpsv
• Forty-one percent of high school and 31 percent of middle school principals or designees reported discipline problems involving gang activity during the 2003- 2004 school year. (Crime, Violence, Discipline and Safety in U.S. Public Schools: Findings from the School Survey on Crime and Safety: 2003-04, National Center for Education Statistics, 2006) http://nces.ed.gov/pubsearch/pubsinfo.asp?pubid=2007302rev
• Higher percentages of students report knowing a student who brought a gun to school when students report gang presence (25%) than when gangs were not present (8%). ("The Impact of Gangs on Communities", NYGC Bulletin, OJJDP, August 2006) http://www.iir.com/nygc/
• The presence of gangs more than doubles the likelihood of violent victimization at school (nearly 8% vs 3%). ("The Impact of Gangs on Communities", NYGC Bulletin, OJJDP, August 2006) http://www.iir.com/nygc/
• The total percentage of students who reported the presence of gangs at school increased from 21 percent in 2003 to 24 percent in 2005. Students in urban schools were more likely to report the presence of gangs at their school (36%) than students at suburban schools (21%) or rural schools (16%). (Indicators of School Crime and Safety: 2006, U.S. Departments of Education and Justice, 2006) http://www.ojp.usdoj.gov/bjs/abstract/iscs06.htm
• Although a growing number of smaller city and rural county agencies reported gang problems from 1996 through 2001, most of these agencies experienced unstable, intermittent gang problems that were minor in terms of size. ("Gangs in Small Towns and Rural Counties", NYGC Bulletin, OJJDP, June 2005) http://www.iir.com/nygc/
• The National Youth Gang Survey in 2003 confirmed that all cities with populations over 250,000 reported having gang activity; as did 87 percent of cities with between 100,000 and 250,000 people. Thirty-eight percent of suburban counties, and 12 percent of rural counties also reported gang activity. (Caught in the Crossfire: Arresting Gang Violence By Investing in Kids, Fight Crime: Invest in Kids, 2004) http://www.fightcrime.org
• Traditionally, nearly one half of all gang members are Hispanic, and one-third are African American. However, the most recently formed gangs in smaller cities and suburbs are more likely to be mixed ethnically, and involve female, white, and middle class youths. (Caught in the Crossfire: Arresting Gang Violence By Investing in Kids, Fight Crime: Invest in Kids, 2004) http://www.fightcrime.org
• Over 37 percent of SRO respondents that were surveyed at the annual NASRO Conference stated that gang activity in their school / district had increased during the past year. Only slightly more than 8 percent reported a decrease in gang activity. (NASRO 2004 National School-Based Law Enforcement Survey, National Association of School Resource Officers, 2004) http://www.schoolsecurity.org/resources/nasro_survey_2004.html
Bullying
Source: http://www.ncdjjdp.org/cpsv
•
In 2005, about 28 percent of 12 to 18 year-old students reported having
been bullied at school during the past six months. (Indicators of School
Crime and Safety: 2006, U.S. Departments of Education and Justice, 2006)
http://www.ojp.usdoj.gov/bjs/abstract/iscs06.htm
• Nearly half of all boys and girls surveyed said they had been bullied before. Also, of those surveyed 42% of them said they have bullied others. ("What Kids Say About Bullying", Kids Health: Nemours Foundation, 2004) http://www.kidshealth.org/kid/feeling/school/poll_bullying.html
• In 2003-2004, 42 percent of middle school principals reported that student bullying occurred on a daily or weekly basis, as compared to 21 percent of high schools and 24 percent of primary schools. (Crime, Violence, Discipline and Safety in U.S. Public Schools: Findings from the School Survey on Crime and Safety: 2003-04, National Center for Education Statistics, 2006) http://nces.ed.gov/pubsearch/pubsinfo.asp?pubid=2007302rev
• Children and teens who are bullied are at a greater risk of suffering from depression and other mental health problems. Bullying behavior has been linked to other problem behaviors such as: vandalism; shoplifting; truancy; school dropout; fighting; and tobacco, alcohol and drug use. ("Criminal Neglect: Substance Abuse, Juvenile Justice and The Children Left Behind," The National Center on Addiction and Substance Abuse, 2004) http://www.casacolumbia.org/pdshopprov/files/JJreport.pdf
• A Secret Service study of school shootings found that almost three-quarters of the attackers felt persecuted, bullied, threatened, attacked or injured by others prior to the incident. (Safe School Initiative — An Interim Report on the Prevention of Targeted Violence in Schools, U.S. Secret Service National Threat Assessment Center, 2000) http://www.secretservice.gov/ntac_ssi.shtml
Delinquency
Source:
http://www.ncdjjdp.org/cpsv
• Urban and suburban students are about equally likely to engage in other delinquent behaviors such as fighting and stealing. ("Sex, Drugs and Delinquency in Urban and Suburban Public Schools," Center for Civic Innovation, 2004) http://www.manhattan-institute.org/pdf/ewp_04.pdf
• The percentage of 9th to 12th grade students who reported being in a physical fight anywhere increased from 33 to 36 percent between 2003 and 2005. (Indicators of School Crime and Safety: 2006, U.S. Departments of Education and Justice, 2006) http://www.ojp.usdoj.gov/bjs/abstract/iscs06.htm
• Each high risk juvenile prevented from adopting a life of crime could save the country between $1.7 million and 2.3 million. (Caught in the Crossfire: Arresting Gang Violence By Investing in Kids, Fight Crime: Invest in Kids, 2004) http://www.fightcrime.org
• On school days, the prime time for violent juvenile crime is from 3 PM to 6 PM. The crimes that occur during that time are serious and violent, including murders, rapes, robberies, and aggravated assaults. These are the same hours when kids are most likely to become victims of violent crime and be in or cause a car crash (for 16- or 17- year-olds). (America's After-School Choice: The Prime Time for Juvenile Crime or Youth Enrichment & Achievement, Fight Crime: Invest in Kids, 2000) http://www.fightcrime.org
Dropouts
Source:
http://www.ncdjjdp.org/cpsv
• Five out of every 100 students enrolled in a high school in October 2003 left school before October 2004 without successfully completing a high school program. (Dropout Rates in the United States: 2004, National Center for Educational Statistics, 2006) http://nces.ed.gov/pubsearch/pubsinfo.asp?pubid=2007024
• The dropout rate for students in low-income families was nearly four times greater than the rate of their counterparts in high-income families over a one-year period from October 2003 to 2004. (Dropout Rates in the United States: 2004, National Center for Educational Statistics, 2006) http://nces.ed.gov/pubsearch/pubsinfo.asp?pubid=2007024
• The percentage of Hispanics ages 16 - 24 who were dropouts was consistently higher than that of blacks and whites. (Dropout Rates in the United States: 2004, National Center for Educational Statistics, 2006) http://nces.ed.gov/pubsearch/pubsinfo.asp?pubid=2007024
Suicide
Source: http://www.ncdjjdp.org/cpsv
•
In 2001, suicide was the third leading cause of death among persons
aged 10-19 years. ("Methods of Suicide Among Persons Aged 10-19
Years Ð United States, 1992-2001," Morbidity and Mortality
Weekly Report, Center for Disease Control and Prevention, 2004)
http://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/PDF/wk/mm5322.pdf
• During the twelve months preceding the survey, 16.9 percent of students had seriously considered attempting suicide, and 13 percent had made a plan about how they would attempt suicide. (2005 Youth Risk Behavior Survey Results, Center for Disease Control, 2006) http://www.cdc.gov/HealthyYouth/yrbs/
• The prevalence of having seriously considered attempting suicide was higher among female (21.8%) than male (12%) students; higher among white (16.9%) and Hispanic (17.9%) than black (12.2%) students. (2005 Youth Risk Behavior Survey Results, Center for Disease Control, 2006) http://www.cdc.gov/HealthyYouth/yrbs/
• High school students who reported attempting suicide during the preceding 12 months were nearly four times more likely to have reported fighting than those who reported not attempting suicide. ("Methods of Suicide Among Persons Aged 10-19 Years Ð United States, 1992-2001," Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report, Center for Disease Control and Prevention, 2004) http://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/PDF/wk/mm5322.pdf
• Approximately one in four suicide victims, associated with a private or public school in the US, injured or killed someone else immediately before their suicide. This suggests an overlap between risk for committing school-associated homicide and risk for suicide. ("Methods of Suicide Among Persons Aged 10-19 Years Ð United States, 1992-2001," Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report, Center for Disease Control and Prevention, 2004) http://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/PDF/wk/mm5322.pdf
The Juvenile Justice System
Source: http://www.ncdjjdp.org/cpsv
• Within the juvenile justice population, 70 percent suffer from learning disabilities and 33 percent read below the fourth grade level. (Defining and Redirecting A School-to-Prison Pipeline, The Civil Rights Project at Harvard University, 2003) http://www.civilrightsproject.harvard.edu
• In 1998, black youths with no prior criminal records were six times, and Latino youths three times more likely to be incarcerated than whites for the same offenses. While compromising 1/3 of the country's adolescent population, Latino and black youths represented 2/3 of all youths confined to detention and correctional placements. (Defining and Redirecting A School-to-Prison Pipeline, The Civil Rights Project at Harvard University, 2003) http://www.civilrightsproject.harvard.edu
• Teens who report no juvenile offenses or drug use are almost twice as likely to feel attached to school as teens who report being involved in both (70 percent vs. 38 percent). (Criminal Neglect: Substance Abuse, Juvenile Justice and The Children Left Behind, The National Center on Addiction and Substance Abuse, 2004) http://www.casacolumbia.org
