The report compares crime data provided by the Georgia Crime Information Center of the Georgia Bureau of Investigation (GBI) and county medical examiner data with the perceptions of adult Atlantans regarding youth violence. The metro Atlanta area as defined in the report includes Fulton, DeKalb, Clayton, Cobb and Gwinnett counties -- the target area for Metro Atlanta Project PACT (Pulling America's Communities Together).
In Fulton County, for instance, which tallied by far the highest youth crime rates according to GBI statistics, aggravated assault offenses increased from 362 offenses committed per 100,000 youth 17 and younger in 1990 to 588 offenses per 100,000 youth in 1993. Juvenile weapons offenses in Fulton increased from 203 offenses per 100,000 youth 17 and younger in 1990 to 359 per 100,000 youth in 1993.
Data collected from the medical examiners' offices in the five counties indicate firearms were involved in the deaths of 157 youth 17 and younger between 1989-1993.
The researchers reported that "...the juvenile firearm fatality rate is more than three times higher in Fulton County than in DeKalb and Clayton Counties. The Fulton County rate of juvenile firearm fatalities is four times that of Gwinnett, and nearly 14 times that of Cobb County.
"Of the total 157 juvenile fatalities... 78 percent of victims were African-American, 20 percent were white, 1 percent were Asian-American and 1 percent were Hispanic... 84 percent of the victims were male."
While the perceptions of adults throughout the metro area closely matched the reality of increasing youth crime, the researchers noted some interesting findings. For instance, adults in each county, including Fulton, felt the problem was worse in the metro area overall than in their own county. Adult perceptions and beliefs were determined by a telephone poll conducted by Ketchum Public Relations, whose staff queried about 500 randomly selected adults in Atlanta.
"Older metro area residents were more apt to view juvenile crime as a serious problem than younger metro Atlanta adults," the researchers said. "African-Americans in metro Atlanta view the problem as more serious than whites."
The Emory team, led by Arthur Kellermann, director of the Center for Injury Control, further concluded:
* "Metro Atlanta adults are extremely concerned about juvenile crime and violence, and they believe that the problem is getting worse...
* "Concern about youth violence appears justified. Rates of juvenile crime and gun-related violence have increased substantially in recent years. Although county-by-county rates vary widely, rates of juvenile violence have increased across the board between 1989 and 1993. Preliminary analysis of 1994 data suggest modest improvement. This is an encouraging sign.
* "Citizens rated the efforts of the religious organizations and the police more favorably than schools or juvenile justice. However, no organization or group received particularly high marks.
* "Rates of gun ownership in metro Atlanta vary by county, but are generally lower than the U.S. average of 48 percent. Thirty-six percent of metro Atlanta households report having a gun in their house or garage.
* "A majority of Atlanta adults think a home is less secure if a gun is kept there (due to the possibility of an accidental shooting within the home)."
This research was supported by a grant from the National Institute of Justice, the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention, and the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
-- Lorri Preston
Youth, Firearms and Violence in Atlanta:
Recently, a five-county area of metro Atlanta including Fulton, DeKalb, Gwinnett, Clayton and Cobb counties was selected by the federal government to be one of the nation's four sites for Project PACT, which stands for "Pulling America's Communities Together." Project PACT is designed to help local communities fight crime and violence. True to its name, Project PACT already has pulled together a diverse group of representatives from law enforcement, public health, juvenile justice, business, neighborhood, faith and grassroots communities -- all dedicated to finding solutions to crime and violence in Atlanta.
Researchers at the Emory Center for Injury Control are supporting Project PACT by assessing the juvenile crime situation in Atlanta, and are developing tools to evaluate efforts to quell this preventable cause of death and injury.
Center staff have collected 10 data sets pertaining to youth violence, and during fall 1995 are releasing analyses of these data in three Special Reports on Youth, Firearms and Violence in Atlanta. The research will serve as an evaluation component of PACT.
Special Report No. 1 -- "Youth Violence: Public Perceptions; Public Realities" issued Oct. 18
Last spring, the center commissioned Ketchum Public Relations to conduct a public opinion poll of metro homeowner views of juvenile violence. Poll results are compared to county-by-county statistics on youth assaults, weapons offenses and gun-related deaths.
Special Report No. 2 -- "Youth Violence: The View of Law Enforcement" to be issued Oct. 23
Metro law enforcement officers and juvenile justice officials were interviewed to elicit their views about the nature and extent of juvenile violence. This report will summarize their observations and their opinions about current and potential programs to discourage gun carrying among high-risk youth.
Special Report No. 3 -- "Youth Violence: The Views of Youth" to be issued Nov. 6
How do young Atlantans view youth violence? How do kids get guns? Which programs work and which are a waste of time? The perspectives and views of neighborhood youth from around the metro area will be compared to those of juvenile offenders. Current and proposed initiatives of metro juvenile courts will be described.