Violence

Examines the roots and outward manifestations of aggression and violence, the role of society and the individual, and what can be done to lessen the trend toward violent behavior and encourage a peaceful approach.

Under the aegis of the two grandes dames of international studies in psychology, 23 experts examine violence in all of its multivarious forms around the world. They find that it is present in practically every society, at every socioeconomic level, and in every age group. The first group of essays look at violence as a societal phenomenon--its motivational aspects as related to, for example, terrorism or machismo. The second group of essays discuss violence involving children--incest, trauma, delinquency, school violence, and the death penalty for youths. The last section looks at adult violence, particularly within the family. Marital violence, domestic violence, substance abuse, women and crime, and maltreatment of elders are all presented. The consensus of the study is that the eradication of violence is essential to a better world and is possible. Proof of its possibility is given in the concluding description of life in Ladakh, a peaceable society of Tibetans in northwestern India.

This book is designed to examine issues related to schools, violence, and society. Since the 1960s, crime and violence have been increasing in America's schools. This violence is not limited to inner-city schools, but has struck virtually every strata and socio-economic level of American culture and society. The prevalence of crime and violence occurring in our nation's schools has become the concern of policymakers on the national and state levels. Concern has spread to parents, educators, and students themselves. This edited volume reviews violence in society, school violence, and crime. Coverage includes past trends in school violence and describes the current extent of the problem, as well as tspects of its causes and prevention. The influence on the students and community of gang activity, gang-related issues, drugs, alcohol, and weapons on campus is discussed.

This is the definitive examination of adolescent violence in the United States as both a social phenomenon and a policy problem. Franklin Zimring, one of America's most esteemed scholars of law and crime, scrutinizes criminal statistics and demographic trends in order to authoritatively address public worries. The result is a thorough debunking of Congressional predictions of "a coming storm of juvenile violence" and the half-baked policy proposals that accompany such warnings. The book sets forth comprehensive and dispassionate analyses of three key areas of youth violence policy: adolescent firearms possession and use, standards for transfer from juvenile to criminal court jurisdiction, and legal sanctions for adolescents who kill. Throughout American Youth Violence, the core issues of youth violence in the 1990s are examined with an unprecedented degree of analytic rigour. Zimring also offers an appropriate set of responses to youth violence that are consistent with a positive future for the juvenile court and for American youth.

"This extremely valuable collection of fourteen chapters is divided into two sections, with the first section covering research on physical abuse in dating relationships and the second section covering the issue of sexual abuse in dating relationships. With the increasing public awareness of and concern about acquaintance rape, this is an excellent and timely book. It should be in the library of any researcher who studies violence against women and it would also be an invaluable resource for any college faculty or administrator who seeks to provide a healthy educational environment for all students." The Community Psychologist

Based on some 170 case studies, this volume delves into the heart of the criminal subculture to produce evidence that challenges traditional gender-based assumptions about women and crime.

In Crime is Not the Problem, Franklin Zimring and Gordon Hawkins revolutionize the way we think about crime and violence--by forcing us to distinguish between crime and violence. The authors reveal that compared to other industrialized nations, in most categories of nonviolent crime, American crime rates are comparable--even lower, in some cases. Only when it comes to lethal violence does the United States outpace other Western nations, with homicide rates many, many times greater. London and New York City have nearly the same number of robberies and burglaries each year, but robbers and burglars kill 54 victims in New York for every victim death in London. Why are the risks so much greater that victims will be killed or maimed in the United States? And what can be done to bring the death rate from American violence down to tolerable levels? The authors show how the impact of television and movie violence on rates of homicide is wildly overrated, but emphasize the paramount importance of guns. By making the crucial distinction between lethal violence and crime in general, the authors clear the ground for a targeted, far more effective response to the real crisis in American society. Crime is Not the Problem will reshape the debate about crime control in the United States.

The world struggles with violent conflicts that are unsolvable and inevitable, as if they were part of human nature. Not true, says William Ury, a world famous, best-selling author and top-level negotiator. In this encouraging and startlingly original book, he and several colleagues provide new research and insights into human behavior and human nature which show that we are not, in fact, doomed to violent conflict. He outlines an innovative program for personal and community empowerment called The Third Side, which shows how we can intervene-both as individuals, and within organizations-to support healthy conflict while preventing destructive confrontation. Praise for William L. Ury "William Ury is an acknowledged authority on negotiating in difficult situations." _ John Kenneth Galbraith "Bill Ury has a remarkable ability to get to the heart of a dispute and find simple but innovative ways to resolve it." _ President Jimmy Carter