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Article
Youth Violence in Context: The Roles of Sex, Race, and Community in Offending
Youth Violence & Juvenile Justice (2007)
  • Terrance J. Taylor, University of Missouri-St. Louis
  • Dana Peterson, University of Nebraska Omaha
  • Finn-Aage Esbensen, University of Missouri–St. Louis
  • Adrienne Freng, University of Wyoming
Abstract
Youth violence garners considerable attention in the media as well as in public policy debates. In spite of this interest and attention to youth violence, stereotypes fueled by misperceptions about the epidemiology of youth violence often drive these discussions. Urban minority youth, especially males, are typically presented as the “dark stranger” responsible for much of this violence. Criminal justice and juvenile justice data tend to reinforce this perspective. In this article, the authors call into question the extent to which violent juvenile offending can be characterized as an urban minority male problem. A multisite sample of middle school students was used to examine the distribution of violent offending by sex, race/ethnicity, and community of residence.
Publication Date
2007
Citation Information
Terrance J. Taylor, Dana Peterson, Finn-Aage Esbensen and Adrienne Freng. "Youth Violence in Context: The Roles of Sex, Race, and Community in Offending" Youth Violence & Juvenile Justice Vol. 5 Iss. 4 (2007) p. 385 - 410
Available at: http://works.bepress.com/terrance-taylor/24/