Violence has replaced communicable diseases as the primary cause of death for american teens. Appalling statistics confirm an epidemic of violence that has no parallel in any other industrialized nation of the world. Nearly 80% of all teenage deaths are the result of violence--from homicides, suicides, motor vehicle crashes, and other unintentional injuries. For the first time, firearm death rates for both white and black male teenagers exceed the total from all natural causes. The extent ot this escalating national problem is evident from statistics:
-Teenage homicides--up 300% in the last thirty years.
-Suicide rate for 15 to 19 year olds--tripled to 10 per 100,000 in the past thirty years.
-Firearm death rate for 15 to 19 year ols--up43% between 1984 and 1988. |
