A Holistic Examination of Children's Exposure to Violence

There are many efforts underway to assist children and youth achieve more successful outcomes. One area of particular concern is the rate of children's exposure to violence. A U.S. Department of Justice study showed that more than 60 percent of the surveyed children indicated they were exposed to violence within the past year, either directly or indirectly. In the United States, children are exposed to numerous forms of violence - in communities, families, dating relationships, schools, and other formal systems. In 2010, the U.S. Attorney General launched the Defending Childhood Initiative to address this national crisis of exposure of children to violence as victims and witnesses. On this episode of Spotlight on Youth, Melodee Hanes, the Acting Director of the Office on Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention and Casey Corcoran, Program Director in the Children's Program at Futures Without Violence will provide an overview of the Defending Childhood Initiative, including its different components such as the demonstrative Initiative and the National Task Force. Guests will also discuss the interrelationship and impact of children's exposure to violence, the critical areas of examination for communities, and promising practices for consideration.