Utilizing Creative Writing to Save the Lives of Black Teens

By Shedrick White

A Dissertation Proposal Presented in Partial Fulfillment

of the Requirements for the Degree

Doctor of Education in Educational Leadership

UNIVERSITY OF PHEONIX

ABSTRACT

Juvenile violence in the United States has decreased in recent

years, but the disparity between blacks and every other

demographic continues to be unacceptable. Tougher and harsher

laws by themselves have failed to close the gap between black at

risk-youth and their peers in regard to the likelihood of

entering the criminal justice system.  Preventing the involvement

of at-risk youth within the criminal justice system should be one

of the top concerns of all members in society serving in roles

that mentor or provide instruction to these children. Ample

scholarly articles and research exists discussing the causes,

proposed solutions, and potential intervention initiatives that

claim to function as solutions to curbing the involvement of at-

risk youth within the criminal justice system, but specific

initiatives to help reduce the instances of violence by black

youth are still in need. Certain intervention programs have in

fact demonstrated results for the United States youth population

as a whole, but the solution to reducing the instances of black

teen violence will need to be tailored to the demographic if we

are ever to close the gap between black teens and their peers. My

hypothesis after having reviewed existing scholarly works on the

topic of early child intervention is that literary exercises seem

to have the greatest effect on preventing at-risk youth from

choosing to engage in criminal and delinquent behavior. My theory

is that the disparity between black teens and their peers in

literacy competency is the primary source for the

disproportionate rate of criminal acts perpetrated by black teens

compared to their peers. I propose that a simple and straight

forward literary exercise designed to teach black at-risk youth

how to express their emotions through writing will in turn cause

a reduction in black teens engaging in criminal and delinquent

behavior by assisting them in perfecting their literary

competency by expressing their emotions in writing exercises.

Chapter One: Introduction

Before attempting to initiate programs to curb the incidents

of violence among black at-risk youth, the prevalence of violence

currently existing within schools must be addressed. Despite a

decrease in victimization and offender rates among adolescent

populations over the past two decades, violence on school

campuses remains a public concern and has more recently been

recognized as a growing concern (Algozzine & McGee, 2011;

Lindstrom Johnson, Burke, & Gielen, 2011; Steward & Robles-Pina,

2008). Although violent crime has declined in general, indicators

of a hostile school climate have not improved. Children are not

feeling safer going to school today than they have in the past

and their feelings are justified. According to a report cited by

the U.S. department of justice going to and from school is the

most dangerous daily activity for all school aged children

(Lemieux, 2011). Moreover, according to The National Center for

Education Statistics & School Crime and Safety (2009) (hereafter

NCES) the percentage of students who are victims of threats of

violence by means of a weapon on school grounds has increased or

remained the same throughout the country (pg. 24). In addition,

the NCES study on school safety complied data going back over a

decade and presented a reality that many in our society either

refuse to believe or purposely ignore. The reality is that school

aged children are not only responsible for a significant portion

of the violence and crime in our country, but they are almost

entirely responsible for all violent incidents on school grounds.

The average American following media coverage of instances of

school violence would be ignorant as to the findings cited in the

2009 study.

According to Centers for Disease Control, there is empirical

evidence that universal school-based programs are successful in

decreasing rates of violence and aggressive behavior among

school-aged children (CDC, 2007). In response to school safety

concerns well-defined disciplinary requirements and special

attention to school security has increased in educational

institutions. However, harsh and punitive disciplinary strategies

have proven insufficient to create a school climate that can

prevent the frequency of school violence as evidenced by the NCES

study. Therefore, the lesson to be learned from approaches taken

in order to curb school violence is that harsher punishments do

not necessarily result in decreased incidents of violence.

Attempts to address school violence are the mirror image of

attempts to curb the amount of violent acts committed by

adolescents in our streets and neighborhood. The school

disciplinarians and administrations play the role of legislatures

and judges, while the teachers and supporting staff function as

the police entities.

According to the Surgeon General study titled Teen Violence,

risk factors such as neighborhood disorganization, antisocial

attitudes and beliefs, poverty, risk taking, delinquent peers,

etc. leave adolescents with negative feelings that led to

violence (pg. 23). Unfortunately, the available data on teen

violence does not do a comprehensive job of dividing the

incidents of violence by racial demographics, income

demographics, or gender. However, by deducing information from

multiple studies and government reports a more accurate picture

of the challenges facing black teens can be made. A review of

teen violence rates in the United States including out of school

incidents depicts a grave picture for black teens in the United

States. Between the years of 1985-2009, person offense case rates

for black males were two to four times higher than the same rates

for White males and American Indian males, and seven to 10 times

higher than those were for Asian males (Office of Juvenile

Justice and Delinquency Prevention, 2009; Fagan, 2008;

Puzzanchera, Adams, & Sickmun, 2010).

In pursuit of further analysis into the disparity between

black adolescents and their peers four key indicators can be

referenced. The Surgeon General conducted a study in which it

cites four key indicators as measurements of violence by teens

“important indicators of violent behavior—arrest records,

victimization data, and hospital emergency room records…“and”

confidential reports by youths themselves” (pg. 1). The office of

Juvenile Prevention and Delinquency Prevention (hereafter OJJDP)

is a department operating within the U.S. justice department. The

OJJDP collects and publishes the most recent audited teen arrest

figures. The latest published graphical representation by the

OJJDP of juvenile arrest records ends at 2011:

Figure 1. Juvenile arrest rate trends. This figure

illustrates the juvenile arrest trend from 1980 to

2011.

The juvenile arrest trend line has been declining since a

spike in 1996. The credit for reducing the rate of teen arrests

deserves to be attributed equally among all members in society

who have had interaction with teenage students. However, the teen

arrest rate still remains high in 2011 at 4,367 arrests for every

100,000 youths ages 10 through 17 in the United States.

Furthermore, the OJJDP data represents the country as a whole and

does not cite statistics by demographics or region.

Antisocial attitudes and beliefs along with negative

feelings are considered as risk factors for youth violence.

Attention at addressing these risk factors would help prevent the

occurrence of youth violence. Teens may lack the words to express

a wide range of emotions such as helplessness, vulnerability,

fear, anger, and self-blame and therefore act out such

experiences with violence (Office of Juvenile Justice and

Delinquency Prevention, 2001; Smitherman & Thompson, 2002; Boone

& Castillo, 2008). There have been no peer reviewed studies that

have concluded that the violent risk factors for adolescents

differ amongst genders or races. Therefore, the disparity between

black at-risk youth and their peers in the instances of violent

behavior could only mean that not enough resources and

intervention programs have been developed to target this specific

demographic.

Teaching self-expression through creative writing classes

may prove a competent and alternative response to violence for

at-risk black teens. Cultural sensitivity must be revered when

creating solutions in response to juvenile violence in the Black

community. Workshops aimed at teaching creative writing skills

have been cited as a possible mechanism to create a catharsis and

modify attitudes toward violence (Hilton, 2006; Smitherman &

Thompson, 2002; Stinson, 2009). Self-expression allows for youth

empowerment and programs that further the abilities of

adolescents to express themselves will result in a reduction of

the existence of risk factors associated with violent behavior.

The current study intends to determine the cause and effect

between the acquisition of creative writing skills and the

attitudes of black at-risk juveniles toward violence and

delinquent acts. Results from this study will present agencies

and institutions with increased knowledge of the effects of

introducing literary self-expression exercises to at risk-youth.

Significance

Self-control prospectively predicts disrupted social bonds

and criminal behavior (Wright, Caspi, Moffitt, & Silva, 1999).

The quality of self-control can be taught and nurtured in

adolescents. Adolescents spend a great part of their youth in our

schools. Therefore, programs that attempt to prevent the

involvement of at risk-youth at present and into the future with

the criminal justice system can best be pursued in the school

environment. Violence by and towards school aged children leaves

victims of violence with feelings of social isolation,

depression, frustration, and poorer school attachment (Johnson,

2009; Johnson, Burke, & Gielen, 2011; Algozzine, 2011). The study

does not attempt to supplant existing programs, rather, to

enhance them by opening up and providing alternative means to

address and prevent violence. The study has the potential to

introduce the validity of new initiatives for reducing current

and future incidents of violence by school aged children.

Violent crimes and delinquent behaviors are linked to

various risk factors. In an effort to combat delinquent behaviors

and create a safer environment in schools and the community at

large, officials often lean toward disciplinarian policies.

Implementation of zero-tolerance-policies and expulsion seem

suitable solutions for short term goals such as justice. However,

such measures result in increasing the rate of crime (Sullivan,

2012; Nicholson-Crotty, Birchmeier, & Valentine, 2009). The

programs that currently exist do not look at the juvenile problem

of violence as a possible result of the lack of ability for self-

expression by school aged children. Disciplinarian measures, such

as suspension and expulsion along with tight security methods

seem to be the more often than not proposed solutions to the

problem of school violence, but has proven ineffective against

lowering rates of crime (Venable, 2009; Skiba & Peterson, 2000;

Fowler, 2011). The study offers an innovative method to

supplement security measures by promoting creative expression as

a means of violence reduction and juvenile violence prevention.

This approach is novel, as few programs currently exist,

especially in New Orleans, which address the risk factors leading

to violence and delinquent behavior.

Problem Statement

Despite data showing reductions in violent crime nationally,

youth violence remains a serious problem (Feder, Levant, & Dean,

2010; OJJPD, 2008; Fagan, 2008). Violence remains the leading

cause of nonfatal injuries among young people (OJJPD, 2010;

Hammond, Haegerich, & Saul, 2009). The Bureau of Justice

Statistic report that more crimes happen against students’ ages

12-18 at school than away from school (Roberts, Zhang, Truman,

2010; Chambers, Zyromski, Asner-Self, & Kimemia, 2010). Students

who ranged from ages 12-18 experienced approximately 1.2 million

nonfatal crimes at school compared to about one million nonfatal

crimes away from school. The figures represent total crime

victimization rates of 47 crimes per 1,000 students at school and

38 crimes per 1,000 students away from school. The number of

school days in a year is essentially equivalent to the number of

non-school days in a year. Despite the balance of days between

school and non-school days, most (63%) violent crimes committed

by juveniles occur on school days (OJJPD, 2010).

According to 2008 FBI statistics, New Orleans had the

highest per capita murder rate in the nation (Murder Capital

Title, 2009, OJJDP, 2008). As New Orleans was scrambling to

rebuild from Hurricane Katrina, New Orleans emerged as the murder

capital once again. Five teenage juveniles ranging from ages 16-

19 suffered fatalities in one incident. The horrific event

prompted the mayor of New Orleans and the governor of Louisiana

to call for the deployment of the Louisiana National Guard to

patrol the streets of New Orleans in an effort to help reduce

crime (Kyra, Anderson, Nicole, Susan, & Rusty, 2006). Despite

creating a condition of martial law in New Orleans, the violence

remained. Juvenile violence remained a problem in New Orleans

despite the presence of the Army. As noted previously, attempts

of increased security and harsher punishment resulted in no

reduction in violence. In this regard, the urgency of finding

alternative means of addressing the problem of juvenile violence

and more specifically black adolescent violent behavior is

crucial.

The problem is that there is a significant disparity between

the instances of violence between black adolescents and their

peers. Moreover, there is a direct correlation between increased

adolescent violent behavior and future adult criminal behavior.

In addition, characteristics such as lack of self-control are

seen a predicators to a child entering the justice system later

as an adult. Intervention is needed at the early stages of

adolescents to help deter school, child, and future adult acts of

violence.

Research Question

Does a relationship exist between creative writing skills

and attitudes toward violence and delinquent behavior among at-

risk inner city black middle and high school aged juveniles

between the ages of 12-17?

Purpose Statement

The purpose of this quantitative research study is to

determine the impact of learning creative writing skills on the

attitudes of adolescent black children towards violence and

delinquent acts.

Hypothesis

H1 Learning creative writing skills has an effect on the

attitudes towards violence and delinquent behaviors among at-risk

black middle and high school aged juveniles between the ages of

12-17.

H2 Learning creative writing skills has no effect on the

attitudes toward violence and delinquent behavior among at-risk

black middle and high school aged students.

Independent and Dependent Variables

Independent variable or treatment in this proposed study is

a creative-writing workshop teaching written and verbal

expression along with creative motivational speaking session

given to at-risk inner city middle and high school aged juveniles

detained in a juvenile detention facility treatment group. The

control group will receive no treatment; however, the control

group will be assessed for risk for violence by receiving the

Structured Assessment for Violence Risk in Youth (SAVRY). Results

obtained from the Structured Assessment for violence risk in

youth given to the treatment and control groups serves at the

dependent variable. The assessment results from the Structured

Assessment for Violence Risk in Youth (SAVRY) are low risk,

medium risk, and high risk (Borum, Bartel, & Forth, 2006).  

Data Collection

Data collection for the proposed quasi-experimental research

study consists of two-group test collected from risk assessments

given to the control and treatment nonequivalent groups. Results

from this study will lead to policy implications and support for

continued study of prevention and intervention programs for

adolescent populations. Research implications serve the purpose

to highlight detention facilities and school-based and community-

based program practices and policies as well.

Assumptions of the Study

Certain assumptions influence the natural progress of

research particularly for quantitative research and surrounding

the appropriate statistical tool used for data.  For the purpose

of this research several assumptions exist, including first,

juvenile violence is a contemporary phenomenon brought about by

factors present only in this period (Loeber & Hay, 1997). Second,

the study assumes that there is no single entity or individual

solely responsible for solving the problem. In fact, the need for

collaborative efforts remains a requirement to solve the problem

(CommonHealth, 2009). Finally, the problem of juvenile violence

will affect not only the youth of today but also will have an

impact on the children of tomorrow.

Chapter II

Literature Review

There is sufficient data to document the prevalence of

violent incidents among youth as victims and offenders (BJS,

2011; OJJDP, 2010). The increasing numbers of children involved

in violent crimes, manifesting violence, and criminal behaviors,

capture the interest of stakeholders of the mainly: the media,

government agencies, juvenile detention facilities, the schools,

and the community (Kruh, Frick & Clements, 2005; Algozzine, 2011;

Ojeda, 2002). Safety concerns prompt immediate actions as

violence continues to crop up in the school system and the

community (Brown, 2000; National Center for Education Statistics

& School Crime and Safety, 2009; BJS, 2011). In 2010, students

ranging from the ages of 12-18 were victims of an estimated

228,700 serious violent crimes. Nearly 40% of the violent acts

against students took place at or on the way to school (OJJDP,

2012).  Recognizing the serious nature of juvenile violence, the

literature review put in perspective the problem of juvenile

violence by presenting statistical and scholarly articles

discussing and reacting to the problem. Research helps to arrive

at a clearer understanding of the issue and a better perspective

of the implemented measures and programs to curb the problem.

The literature review focuses on three fundamental issues.

First, providing documented risk factors for juvenile violence

and delinquency in the United States along with programmatic

responses; second, understanding juvenile violence in the context

of African Americans; and third. is apprehending how teaching

creative writing provides an alternative to violence. The

literature review serves as the focus for the framework

conducted. What needs to be noted is that juvenile violence has

been common in communities of poor, African Americans since the

early to mid-twentieth century. This is especially true in urban

ghettos, yet much of the scholarly investigation during this

period concentrated on understanding juvenile delinquency among

white ethnic, immigrant youth (Finley, 2007). The lack of

dedicated research that focuses exclusively on black adolescents

is disheartening.

Violence and Juvenile Violence: Defined

Through the Violence Prevention Approach (VPA) of the World

Health Organization, violence is defined as “The intentional use

of physical force or power, threatened or actual, against

oneself, another person, or against a group or community that

either results in or has a high likelihood of resulting in

injury, death, psychological harm, mal-development, or

deprivation" (VPA, 2009). Two other major agencies share the same

definition of youth violence (BJS, 2011; OJJDP, 2008). Moreover,

there are three sub-categories of violence. These are self-

directed violence, interpersonal violence, and the collective

violence. Self-directed violence is the violence wherein the

perpetrator and victim are the same person. Violence falling

under this category includes suicide and self- abuse (VPA, 2009).

On the other hand, interpersonal violence refers to violence

between individuals. Interpersonal violence subdivides into

family and intimate partner violence and community violence. The

former category includes child maltreatment, intimate partner

violence, and elderly abuse. The latter breaks down into

acquaintance and stranger violence and include youth violence;

assault by strangers; violence related to property crimes, and

violence in workplaces and other institutions (VPA, 2009; BJS,

2011). Finally, collective violence refers to violence committed

by a larger group of individuals and can be sub-divided into

social, political, and economic violence.

Meanwhile, interpersonal youth violence is defined by the

Center for Disease and Control Prevention (CDC) as “The

intentional use of physical force or power, threatened or actual,

against another person or against a group or community that

results in or has a high likelihood of resulting in injury,

death, psychological harm, mal-development, or deprivation”

(2009). Inclusion of these definitions guides the reader in

understanding not only the concepts of violence, but also the

framework for the incidence of youth violence.

External Factors Affecting Juvenile Violence

Although there is a reduction in youth violence in the last

years, the seriousness of the problem of juvenile violence

remains (Feder, Levant & Dean, 2010). Moreover, scholars agree

that the current plateau shows that there will be no foreseeable

decrease in juvenile violence in the coming future (Brown, 2010).

In this regard, understanding the external factors that

contribute to juvenile violence will help to better understand

the problem and address it. More specifically, for purpose of

this study, condensing the list of social risk factors that are

cited among various peer reviewed studies will allow for a more

comprehensive understanding of the issue. Furthermore, it is

important to recognize that there are external factors at work,

that adolescents have no control of, that effect their

perceptions of reality and influence their misbehavior. There are

several external risk factors that are discussed among the peer

reviewed studies available on the issue of adolescent violence;

among them are: 1) lack of adult supervision, 2) lack of family

structure, 3) poverty, 4)perception of media violence, 5) peer-

pressure, 6) neighborhood disorder, and 7) zero tolerance

policies.

Adult Supervision

The fact that children are more likely to misbehave without

the presence of an adult is an obvious conclusion. However, the

fact that a child is more likely to engage in violent behavior as

the percentage of time the child spends under parental

supervision declines may not be as obvious. As a peer review

study demonstrates, children that are increasingly left in self-

care, as in lack adult supervision, are more likely to commit

violent acts and has a long-term effect of increasing future

violent behaviors (Colwell, Meece, Petiit, Bales, & Dodge, 2001).

Lack of adult supervision is among the factors influencing

juvenile violence.

According to The Federal Interagency Forum on Child and Family

Statistics, 36% of children ages 12-14 in the United States are

taking care of themselves regularly after-school (pg. 120, 2011).

The peak hours of youth violence are the hours immediately

following after school (BJS, 2011). Therefore, children without

parental supervision after school are not only more likely to

engage in acts of violence, but are also more likely to engage in

acts of violence at a peak time for youth violence. The external

factor of have a lack of adult supervision is one that is out of

the control of the youth.

Family Structure

An adolescent has no control over the family structure he

becomes a part of. As in the case with adult supervision, the

failure to provide an adult to supervise and nourish a child

during their most vulnerable years places them at higher risk of

entering the criminal justice system. Dysfunctional families or

family structures that provide for less opportunities for

children to interact with their parents correlates with a higher

probability of incidents where the adolescents becomes involved

with the criminal justice system (BJS, 2011; OJJDP, 2008). The

structure of the family is a cited factor effecting juvenile

violence rates. Prior to the 1950s, only 1/5th of children were

living in a household where both parents worked or was headed by

a single parent (Mayer & Leone, 2007). Currently, two-thirds of

children are living in a household in which either both parents

work or a single parent heads the household (Mayer & Leone,

2007). In 2010, three million children did not live with either

parent (Federal Interagency Forum on Child and Family Statistics,

2011).

Poverty

Poverty is identified in most case studies as a risk factor

for youth violence (OJJDP, 2008). The United States is the

country with the highest inequality level and poverty rate across

OECD (OECD, 2008). The “average income of the richest 10% is US

$93,000,000 in purchasing power parities, the highest level in

the OECD. However, the poorest 10% of the US citizens have an

income of US $5,800 US$ per year – about 20% lower than the

average for OECD countries” (OECD, 2008, p. 1). Families with

less income simply do not have access to the same quality of

foods as those who can routinely afford fresh vegetables and home

cooked meals. The effects of these conditions to the children are

decisive. It is known that poor-quality diet and food are

damaging to the cognitive development of the children. (Donovan &

Cross, 2002; Federal Interagency Forum on Child & Family

statistics, 2005; Mayer & Leone, 2007). Furthermore, black

families are in general more likely to face the challenges of

poverty than any other ethnic group in the United States.

Therefore, black youth face an even greater risk of being engaged

in violent behavior simply due to the environmental economic

factors affecting their neighborhoods and families.

Media Violence

Exposure to violence effects the perceptions and attitudes

of children. Whether it is the glorification of violence on

television or the web, pop culture within the United States

promotes violence at every turn. As demonstrated by several

studies, children between the ages of four and six imitate the

behavior demonstrated on films they watch; if the films are

violent they imitate the violent behavior (Rideout, Vandewater &

Wartella, 2003). Children spend almost 14 hours in front of the

television (Mayer & Leone, 2007). Therefore, the exposure to

violent images at a young age creates a substantial likelihood of

future violent acts by the adolescents.

Peer Pressure

Factoring in as another influence of juvenile delinquency is

the peer pressure that juveniles experience as a result of

proximity. In the many stages of human growth and development,

adolescence marks the stage that juveniles begin to experiment e

with risk behaviors such as substance use and delinquency (Dumas

& Ellis, 2012).  One identifying characteristic of adolescence is

peer group identification. Peer pressure refers to feelings of

pressure adolescents internalize when coerced or encouraged by

others to think and behave in a specific way (Brown, Clasen, &

Ficher, 1998). As pressure mounts, teens in more controlling

peer groups engage in risk behaviors to impress more powerful

group members to improve his or her social status within the

group (Adler & Adler, 1998).   Therefore, communities in which

social groups among children begin to form without the guidance

of adults who establish community and social values for the

children, the influence of peer pressure begins to dictate the

moral threshold for children.

Neighborhood disorder

Outside the control of adolescents is the ability to choose

the neighborhoods they are born into. Adolescents geographically

connected to disordered neighborhoods that have more crime, have

the opportunity to interact with criminals, therefore increasing

the probability of becoming influenced by these associations

(Calvert, 2002). The model of social disorganization developed by

Shaw and McKay in 1942 argues that cultural and social control

processes serve as conduits through which influence of youths’

behavior becomes funneled (Berg, Stewart, Bronson, & Simons,

2012). The social disorganization theory proposes that low SES

along with ethnic and racial heterogeneity become related to

increased crime rates because the three factors minimize the

ability of neighborhood residents to unite for common goals

(Calvert, 2002). These same youth of disadvantaged neighborhoods

are likely to engage in violence because control mechanisms

associated with decent families become replaced by the more

available street cultural code, which requires youth to fight to

defend themselves and to use violence to obtain what they want

(Parker & Recdenwald, 2008). Being born into disadvantaged

neighborhoods along with peer association creates a belief within

juveniles that delinquency is their destiny.

Zero-tolerance Policy

One additional factor influencing juvenile violence is the

zero-tolerance policy implemented in some schools (Skiba &

Peterson, 1999; Verdugo, 2002). This approach has been adopted

during the 1990’s in response to the increasing violence, drug

activities, and other violent behaviors in school. Currently, no

standard or universal definition for zero-tolerance policy exists

(Mayer & Leone, 2007). Zero tolerance policies are adopted with

the intention to prevent juvenile violence; nonetheless, it does

not address the issue of youth violence (Verdugo, 2002). As

such, a zero-tolerance policy creates the impression that schools

are places where an outright rejection for deviancy is the norm.

Schools that have adopted a zero-tolerance policy cause more

damage to the students and contribute to the downward spiral of

the quality of education by refusing to educate the most

vulnerable students (Mayer & Leone, 2007; Sullivan, 2012;

Nicholson-Crotty, Birchmeier, & Valentine, 2009).

The Race

Studies devoted to distinguishing the issues within the

American black community in regards to incidents of violence or

criminal justice system involvement from other races or

demographics is not prevalent in peer reviewed studies. This is

despite existing studies that show the need to address the

proportional violent incidents among black adolescents. For

example, Puzzanchera, Adams & Sickmun (2010) have reported that

between the period spanning from 1985 – 2007, volumes of cases

differed across races, however; observations revealed an increase

in public offense cases across races, but proportionately more in

the black community (pg. 23). The study further revealed that

during the same period there was a noticeable decline in the

number of delinquency caseloads among white youth, American

Indian youth and Asian youth, but there was an increase in the

proportion of delinquency cases involving black youth, from 22%

in 1985 to 37% in 2007 (pg. 29). The study further presented:

1. The total delinquency case rate for black juveniles

(110.6) was more than double the rate than for white

juveniles (43.8).

2. The person offense case rate for black juveniles (33.3)

was almost three times the rate for American Indian youth

(12.9), more than three times the rate for white juveniles

(9.5), and 10 times that of Asian youth (3.3).

3. Age-specific person offense rates for black juveniles in

2007 averaged more than 3 times the rates for white

juveniles and American Indian youth (Puzzanchera, Adams, &

Sickmun, 2010, pg. 30).

4. Of any race of juveniles, black youth are more likely than

any other demographic to undergo detention in a secured

detention facility (OJJDP, 2001).The misperception

presented by the OJJDP data can be even better explained

by citing that “among 10 to 24 year-olds, homicide is the

leading cause of death for African Americans; the second

leading cause of death for Hispanics” (Centers for Disease

Control and Prevention, National Center for Injury

Prevention and Control, 2012 pg. 12).

Moreover, when looking at the latest audited homicide rate

for blacks in the United States released in 2014 by the Violence

Policy Center “Blacks in the United States are disproportionately

affected by homicide For the year 2011, blacks represented 13

percent of the nation’s population, yet accounted for 50 percent

of all homicide victims (Violence Policy Center (VPC), 2014 pg.

3; FBI Supplementary Homicide Report 2011, U.S. Census Bureau

population estimates). Furthermore, the VPC study cites the

statistics for black teen violence in Louisiana stating “Thirty-

three homicide victims (9 percent) were less than 18 years old”

(VPC, pg. 4). Even more concerning in the stats cited by the VPC

is the acknowledgement that, “For homicides in which the victim

to offender relationship could be identified, 81 percent of

victims (112 out of 138) were murdered by someone they knew.

Twenty-six victims were killed by strangers” (VPC, pg. 4). The

total homicide rate for blacks in Louisiana was 25.30 per 100,000

in 2011 (VPC, pg. 4). We have to recognize that despite the

trend of teen arrests and victimization figures continuing to

decline the disparity between blacks and every other demographic

in our country is an alarming issue that must be addressed.

Together these factors present an oblique future for a

disenfranchised sizable amount of the black youth community.

However, the facts present an even worse situation when New

Orleans becomes exclusively the area of focus.

New Orleans: In Focus

The culture of violence pervades New Orleans. In 2007, there

were 71 murders per 100,000 people compared to the national level

where the rate is six murders per 100,000 people; furthermore, in

2010, New Orleans had the highest murder rate in the nation

(Federal Bureau of Investigations, 2011). New Orleans continues

to struggle with lowering its murder rate and overall crime. The

prevalence of violence has shattered not only the houses and the

physical structures of the city, but it has also broken family

ties, social, and community bonds among neighbors and schools. In

this condition, the city continues to struggle with domestic and

interpersonal violence resulting from the stress and difficulties

that the people New Orleans have to struggle with day in and out.

The youth in New Orleans remain profoundly affected because

they are the most vulnerable to violence. A large percentage of

youth in New Orleans have either been the victims of domestic and

interpersonal violence or have witnessed a member of his or her

family or a friend become a victim (CommonHealth Action, 2009).

In this condition, people become desensitized to violence.

Citizens hold the belief that when reporting violent crimes,

nothing happens to address reports due to the past history of the

criminal justice system in the city. In a dialogue, the adults

have raised their fear that the children are growing in the

culture of violence- where violence becomes the norm and the

means of survival. The CommonHealth Action (2009) study supported

the conclusion that “Young people commit crimes at an alarming

rate, but lack of funding exists to tackle the issues and support

young offenders” (p. 7).

Furthermore, observations reveal that “the youth in New

Orleans have inadequate outlets to support positive youth

development, and are surrounded by blight, which can be a rather

depressing environment, have little hope for advancement, and

consequently, experience significant frustration” (CommonHealth

Action, 2009, p. 6). There is an increasing number of male and

female black youth becoming involved in violence in New Orleans.

This becomes even more apparent in parts of the city where there

is a high-poverty rate coupled with a majority black population

such as Central City.

Some consider poverty as the primary driver of violence in New

Orleans. People, especially the youth, want to address the issue,

but the quagmire of poverty hinders them from taking a firm

stance against violence and forces them to accept the reality of

gangs, crime, and violence for survival. The perception of New

Orleanians is that:

1. Violence in the city is increasing to critical

proportions; it is ongoing and random.

2. Most youth accept the levels of violence as a way of

life; it becomes part of their world.

3. An overabundance of media coverage focused on crimes in

the city, which has de-sensitized many residents, and

there is a general sense of powerlessness and

hopelessness. People absorb the news and continue with

their lives.

4. Collectively, people do not know what to do or how to

address the situation. People care but so many of them

deal with chaos daily in their lives that they cannot

stop to look at the larger picture. In general, many

present as exhausted from the lack of stability and

becoming over stimulated by constant exposure to the

increased violence.

An Alternative Approach to Delinquency Prevention

The concerted effort in addressing the issue of juvenile

violence brings forth the notion that something can happen to

control it. However, as everybody’s feeling of involvement

emerges, in the alternative approach proposed of this research,

the teacher plays an essential role. The teachers, just like the

parents, have an extended exposure with the children, and they

can keep them as a captive audience in class (Brown, 2000). In

these moments that children are the “captive audience,” the

teacher can teach students values socially constructive and

accepted while giving students the venue with which students can

raise his or her voice and make his or her own experiences heard;

this can be attained through creative writing. Mental health

professionals use poetry therapy more frequently because of the

healing value of its emotional expressiveness (Boone & Castillo,

2008). Communication skills may be more amendable to short-term,

less intensive treatment and more teachable than other factors

such as cohesion. Communication received recognition as one of

two necessary to positively influence social skills and

leadership behaviors (LeBlanc, Self-Brown, Shepard, & Kelly,

2011).

Creative writing allows students to look into the realities

of life where they dwell. It does not need to go far beyond the

rudiments of one’s experience of life (Hogrefe, 1940). One’s life

is, in fact, the starting point of one’s story (Hilton, 2006;

Hogrefe, 1940; Stovall, 2006). Creative writing demands self-

reflection (Hilton, 2006; Hogrefe, 1940). As the student look

inside him or her, he does not only find the story to tell, but

he also get the means with which the story is to be told –

creative writing (Barron, 2007; Stovall, 2006). Looking deeper

into oneself, probing one’s deepest sanctum is a cathartic

experience because one has to confront one’s personal demons

(Hilton, 2006; Smitherson & Thompson, 2002). She has to face the

ideas, the challenges, the experience of reality with its

contradictions, and the experience of life itself. These are

possible because in creative writing, one does not isolate

oneself from life experiences; rather, one tackles it headlong,

no matter how painful it is (Hilton, 2006; Stovall, 2006).

After the long process of self-reflection, creative writing

empowers the student. Empowered because the student’s voice

generates the arena, the space with which the student can be

heard. Creative writing is the instrument with which children’s

experience is articulated, listened to, heard at. As one’s voice

made clear, the dignity along with the integrity of the child as

a human person is re-affirmed. Her humanity receives restoration

and slowly the child/student is freed from that shackles that

oppress he or she (Barron, 2007;Hiton, 2006; Hogrefe, 1940;

Latham, 2008; Vakil, 2008).

Through creative writing, the child/student is not left

alone. The story becomes the voice with which meanings of life

become shared with others (Hilton, 2006; Smitherson & Thompson,

2002). The words, the language with which child/students

articulate their own experiences of life, also becomes the medium

wherein meanings become shared, experiences communicated. As

such, words use to tell one’s story are not just representation

of one’s experience of life, but it becomes the means with which

relationship with others is achieved, thus, the rebuilding of the

self through the re-enactment of life experience produce deeper

meaning, deeper understanding of self, of life, of humanity

(Hilton, 2006; Smitherson & Thompson, 2002). This reconstruction

would allow integration of the new technologies with traditional

art mediums, and of pupils’ experiences of the natural and

material world with literature and print texts, the latter

hitherto left out of the creative arts. Here reflective

conversations woven in and through artistic production that has

its roots in experience and seeks to transform meaning, rather

than teachers; summative evaluations simply focused on skills or

surface features can change the shape of shared knowledge,

generating deeper understandings of the creative process for

teachers and young artists alike (Hilton, 2006, p. 42; Smitherson

& Thompson, 2002).

According to Hilton (2006) creative writing can become one

of the most viable alternative methods to counter juvenile

violence. In creative writing, juvenile violence losses its

severity as both the victim and perpetrator assume the

opportunity to look into the experience of violence. How they see

it, how they respond to it, how they make sense of it proffers

the beginning not only of self-knowledge but also of articulation

and expression that leads to understanding, shared meaning, and

empowerment. Creative writing moves beyond the psychological and

sociological justification of violence (Hilton, 2006). It delves

into the cause of the problem by allowing the person to self-

reflect and to comprehend the circumstances of violence not on

how others want him to see it, but on how he sees and experiences

it. Furthermore, as creative writing becomes the instrument of

which empowerment of the youth reaches attainment as they

reconstruct their own stories; it also becomes the mechanism with

which the impact of violence become communicated to the young

people.

Creative writing through poetic and other forms reaches and

touches young people, creating the continuum for shared meanings

and shared values (Hilton, 2006; Stovall, 2006). It opens for the

adult venues with which the positive social values of the society

become shared with the youth. Likewise, creative writing

establishes the arena wherein youth experience become expressed,

understood, and valued as authentic and affirmed as a valuable

experience of human life. Creative writing goes beyond expression

toward genuine human communication of pain, of life. In this

regard, creative writing is a viable alternative to juvenile

violence because not only is it empowering them but also because

it is the way with which they communicate their experience of

life (Hilton, 2006). The problem of juvenile violence is

pervasive in modern society. In 2004, students ranging in the age

bracket of 12 to 18 were victims of about 225,000 nonfatal

serious violent crimes in the school that they attended. In the

same year, there were 720,000 similar incidents involving the

same age bracket away from school (Champion, 2007).  Several

factors contribute to the rise of this phenomenon. The external

factors and relational factors that contribute to the rise of

juvenile violence, endangers the lives, and the future of

children today. Young African Americans, especially those living

in New Orleans, believe this harsh reality more succinctly.

National statistics on juvenile cases and juvenile violence

has shown that there is an increase in number of cases among male

African –Americans in the last decade. The condition in New

Orleans is distinctive because the culture of violence in the

city has perpetuates, permeating the life of young as the only

viable option in the face of poverty and economic injustice. The

culture of violence with which the young people of New Orleans

are becoming accustomed, creates the negation of honor and

dignity of these young people.

Punitive policies will not help the young people who see in

violence not only their means for survival but also their way of

life, their experience of humanity. In this regard, as scholars

have elucidated that juvenile violence is a failure not only of

the individual but also of all the adults who have the

opportunity to touch the life of the child, the need for a

collaborative effort to address the problem of juvenile violence

becomes necessary. Juvenile violence is the problem not only of

the child or the child’s family or the child’s school but also it

is the problem of the entire community, of the entire society

because it takes a whole community to raise a child.

In this situation, the exigency of coming up with an

alternative program that will counter youth aggression is

essential. The ingenuity of creative writing as an alternative

program is promising. Inherent in the nature of creative writing

is the opportunity to look into oneself and delve deeper into the

issues that haunts one’s soul. In this process of self-

reflection, one attains catharsis and freedom from the shackles

that oppress the person. A catharsis becomes possible in creative

writing because the young person finds the chance to articulate

and express one’s understanding of life in the stories written,

in the poem composed. As such, as the young person finds meaning

and understanding of one’s the human condition, the young person

obtains empowerment. Empowered with the opportunity to voice

one’s view, to narrate one’s story, to reconstruct reality from

one’s unique perspective, in one’s own language. As such,

creative writing becomes the medium wherein the youth may once

more achieve their own sense of self, not out of peer pressure or

social pressure, but out from self-reflection of one’s own human

condition.

Furthermore, according to Hilton (2006), creative writing

becomes the path with which youth expression and communication of

their world are acknowledged as a faithful representation and

disclosure of their experience of the world. As the theories and

identified factors affords researchers resources with which helps

to explain the phenomenon of juvenile violence, creative writing

opens the door that will empower the youth and validate their

experience of the world; thus, transforming their representations

of the world as an authentic expression of their human

experience.

Summary

In this chapter, topics presented were; the conceptual

definition of violence, the factors affecting juvenile violence,

the theories forwarded explaining youth violence, some of the

measures and programs initiated and implemented to counter the

problem, the facts, and the reality of violence in New Orleans

and on how creative writing becomes a viable option in addressing

the problem of youth violence. The discourse has been drawn from

the existing discussions of scholars. In the literature, review

indicates that poetry, creative writing, and other forms of

literary arts are promising tools in addressing juvenile

violence. Creative writing offers the venue wherein young people

have the opportunity to express their experience of life in a

language and a medium that they can communicate with, using

experiences not removed from their own reality; rather, tackling

concerns while discussing topics that haunts and define their

existence. In this regard, scholarly articles agree that creative

writing offers a viable option for a way out of violence. In

chapter III, presented are description of the data used in the

study, the sample, and the selection and measurement of both the

dependent and independent variables.

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