Preventing Violence in America

What can be done to address the problem of violence in society? The contributors to this volume, both scholars and practitioners, examine this question by exploring the history of violence together with theoretical explanations.

The book discusses such issues as: the disproportionate presence of violence within North American minority populations; the concept of psychological resiliency; how spirituality may serve as a protective factor; and the role of television in promoting violence. The contributors also address prevention and intervention strategies among gangs of young people, and the implementation of special programmes in schools.

The editors have assembled an outstanding group of authors knowledgeable and experienced in the causes and prevention of violence. The volume is an excellent blend of history, theory, applications, and training programs dealing with violence. I learned important facts about epidemiology, resilience, and public health models. There are also interesting special chapters on both perpetrators and on victims (especially women and girls). This book is a gold mine of useful references. --George W. Albee, Past President, American Psychological Association "Unfortunately, violence permeates every aspect of American life. . . . It′s on our streets, in our schools, and even in our homes. Preventing Violence in America provides an important service by creating a greater public awareness and understanding of this challenge. This book helps in our fight against crime and violence and in reaching our ultimate goal of creating a peaceful society for America′s families." --Chris Dodd, U.S. Senator (CT) and Chair, Senate Committee on Children, Family, Drugs & Alcoholism "The editors have assembled an outstanding book that combines the history, theory, applications, and training for dealing with violence in our society. They quickly dispel the common belief that, in times past, the actual conditions and social climate were better than they are today. . . . This book promotes an understanding of the social context of violent behavior, whether occurring within the family or larger community, and points out connections between violence occurring within the home and in the community. . . . I was most impressed by the chapter written by Martin Bloom, which goes into great detail about the factors that contribute to the development of a resilient person--one who can turn away from violence, in spite of living in a negative environment. . . . This book offers as complete a discussion of violence as I′ve seen. It should be required reading for anyone who is seriously interested in trying to reduce the incidence of violence in our society." --Joseph M. Rimmer in Science Books & Films Why are people hurting, maiming, and killing one another in our society? What can be done to address the problem of violence in the United States? Preventing Violence in America confronts violence head-on by exploring these questions and examining current strategies for prevention. A talented group of scholars and practitioners joins up to review the history and theoretical explanations of violence and then tackles issues related to the disproportionate presence of violence within minority populations, the concept of psychological resiliency, how spirituality may serve as a protective factor, and the role of TV in promoting violence. The volume also analyzes prevention and intervention strategies in public health, among gangs in the High-Risk Youth program, and the implementation of the Second Step curriculum for use in school systems. Preventing Violence in America offers the most current information in violence prevention to professionals in social work and crime reduction as well as researchers and students in victimology, family studies, developmental psychology, and sociology.