http://jjie.org/op-ed-countering-the-effects-of-violence-on-native-children/106096/
Please join me in considering the impact that exposure to violence could have on a child's entrance into the juvenile justice system as I reflect on an article that I found on the Juvenile Justice Information Exchange written by Robert Listenbee, Jr., the Administrator of the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention, a component of the Office of Justice Programs within the United States Department of Justice. The article is entitled: "OP-ED: Countering the Effects of Violence on Native Children."
How would you respond to Robert Listenbee's observation: "Every path to delinquency takes a different course but the experience of childhood trauma is as close a common marker as you will find."
Does exposure to violence as children contribute to "a host of other problems" in their lives?
Mr. Listenbee reports that "two out of every three American children are touched by violence and trauma in some way". Do you agree with him that this constitutes a national crisis?
Is there an intersection between child maltreatment and domestic abuse?
Are Native children more at risk than others?
What can we as Social Workers do to counter the effects of violence on Native children?
What can we as Social Workers do to counter the effects of violence on children/youth?
I think that the way in which Listenbee phrased this ("every path to delinquency takes a different course") is absolutely true. We, as social workers, are charged to value each client as a unique individual. Though two clients may be in treatment for a similar violent crime (armed robbery, assault, etc.), those clients may have very different backgrounds.
ReplyDeleteThat being said, I do feel that exposure to violence and trauma in childhood can make a long-term negative impact. Children are subject to violence in the home regardless of race, religion, income, or family composition, and children often mirror what they know. So, for example, if a 5-year-old boy sees dad violently attacking mom, why are we surprised when this boy gets into a fight at school?