Deadly Consequences

Explores the psychological and social causes of violence among young, often poor and Black, males, and offers ideas for dealing with the problem

``As the former public health commissioner of Massachusetts, as a physician, as a parent, as a black American, and as an inner- city resident,'' Prothrow-Stith, now assistant dean of the Harvard School of Public Health, brings impressive credentials to the writing of this book--and to the sensible array of solutions she offers to the growing problem of homicide as the leading cause of death among young American men. The homicide rate for 1986-87 for all young American males was 21.9 per 100,000 (the next highest national rate was that of Scotland, at only 5.0 per 100,000). But among young black American men, the incidence of homicide was a staggering 85.6 per 100,000. Writing with Weissman, a Boston free-lance author, Prothrow-Stith discusses the forces that impel poor young men, and especially poor young men of color, to see violence as their only means of conflict resolution. Saturated by distorted media images of violence, lacking nonviolent male role models, filled with rage and self- hatred, surrounded by the brutal tactics of gangs and drug-dealers, ghetto kids are learning before they even hit double-digits to carry weapons and use ``maximum force.'' Prothrow-Stith's proposed solution: Make violence prevention a public-health issue. Mount a public-awareness campaign like that waged so successfully against smoking. Require emergency-room physicians to refer young men obviously at risk for violence to appropriate mental-health agencies and fund these agencies adequately to treat them. Introduce an anti-violence curriculum in schools: Prothrow-Stith has developed one that has been implemented in over 300 schools nationwide. Gun control, community policing, better family education, and support systems are also components in her plan. The cost? Far less than incarceration or death and the consequent loss of potentially productive citizens. A comprehensive and seemingly workable blueprint--and Prothrow-Stith seems enough of a powerhouse to get her message to those in positions to act on it. (For another, more profound look at male violence, see Myriam Miedzian's Boys Will Be Boys, reviewed above.) -- Copyright ©1991, Kirkus Associates, LP. All rights reserved.

Much recent research in the social sciences finds that urban violence is a problem that cannot simply be turned over to police and prison officials for their attention. Prothrow-Stith, a former Public Health Commissioner in Massachusetts and now Assistant Dean at the Harvard School of Public Health, holds that teenage violence is a public health problem as well as a problem for the criminal justice system. She reviews the literature on teenage violence and recommends specific plans that require cooperation and innovative problem-solving by a wide range of agencies. Educators will find the violence prevention curriculum that she has designed and tested to be of special interest. Highly recommended for collections in education, public health, urban affairs, and criminal justice.
- John Broderick, Stonehill Coll., North Easton, Mass.
Copyright 1991 Reed Business Information, Inc.