Search

Firearm-related interpersonal violence is a leading cause of death and injury in cities across the United States, and understanding the movement of firearms from on-the-books sales to criminal end-user is critical to the formulation of gun violence prevention policy. In this study, we assemble a unique dataset that combines records for over 380,000 crime guns recovered by law enforcement in California (2010–2021), and more than 126,000 guns reported stolen, linked to in-state legal handgun transactions (1996–2021), to describe local and statewide crime gun trends and investigate several potentially important sources of guns to criminals, including privately manufactured firearms (PMFs), theft, and "dirty" dealers. We document a dramatic increase over the decade in firearms recovered shortly after purchase (7% were recovered within a year in 2010, up to 33% in 2021). This corresponds with a substantial rise in handgun purchasing over the decade, suggesting some fraction of newly and legally acquired firearms are likely diverted from the legal market for criminal use. We document the rapid growth of PMFs over the past 2–3 years and find theft plays some, though possibly diminishing, role as a crime gun source. Finally, we find evidence that some retailers contribute disproportionately to the supply of crime guns, though there appear to be fewer problematic dealers now than there were a decade ago. Overall, our study points to temporal shifts in the dynamics of criminal firearms commerce as well as significant city variation in the channels by which criminals acquire crime guns. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Gender-based violence (GBV) against transgender and nonbinary (TGNB) persons is a pervasive public health issue. GBV has been linked to mental health problems such as depression and posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), as well has risk for HIV seroconversion and HIV treatment nonadherence. However, the impact of GBV on HIV pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) use among TGNB persons has yet to be investigated. In the current study we assessed longitudinal PrEP persistence data from dried blood spots (DBS) collected from 172 racially and ethnically diverse TGNB participants during a 48-week PrEP demonstration project in Southern California from June 2017 to September 2020. Participants were categorized into three levels of PrEP uptake and persistence based on their PrEP levels at the start and end of the study: low–low, high–low, and high–high. Individual-, social-, and structural-level variables were then entered into multinomial logistic regression models to predict levels of PrEP uptake and persistence based on hypotheses informed by syndemic and minority stress theories. The models demonstrated that experience of GBV predicted significantly lower odds of PrEP uptake and persistence and greater PTSD symptoms predicted significantly greater odds of early PrEP discontinuation. Higher levels of coping skills, already being on PrEP at baseline, and being in a steady relationship were associated with greater odds of PrEP uptake and persistence. Implications for future GBV research, advocacy, interventions, and much needed structural changes focused on improving the health and safety of TGNB individuals are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In order to continue pushing college campuses to the forefront of survivor-centered practice and student-centered care, it is imperative that the barriers students experience in accessing campus sexual violence resource centers be documented and addressed. This research evaluates student and staff perceptions of barriers to accessing the Campus Assault Resources and Education (CARE) offices on three University of California (UC) campuses. Data were collected by researchers from UC Speaks Up, a cross-campus research initiative at UC Los Angeles (UCLA), UC Santa Barbara (UCSB), and UC San Diego (UCSD) aimed at understanding factors that both contribute to and prevent sexual violence among college students. This analysis only included data that yielded insights into CARE's accessibility. Thematic analysis of 63 interviews and 27 focus group discussions was conducted using Dedoose. The following six thematic codes emerged from the data: (1) awareness of office, (2) confidentiality of services, (3) physical accessibility, (4) accessibility for vulnerable and marginalized groups, (5) utilization experiences, and (6) limited institutional support. To increase the accessibility of sexual violence resource centers in higher education, this study indicates that universities and campus sexual violence resource centers should (1) encourage survivor-centered cross-campus collaborations between sexual violence resource centers and other campus entries, (2) add more trainings that are tailored to the needs of vulnerable and marginalized communities, (3) increase the resource's campus-wide office exposure through multiple prevention education opportunities, and (4) better fund sexual violence resource centers. Implications for future research are discussed to maximize this study's public health impact. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The literature has shown a strong correlation between victimization and violence. As the majority of treatment programs for violence and the associated research have been focused on men, it is vital that services are also oriented to the needs of women who perpetrate violence. Beyond Violence (BV) was developed to fill the gap in violence prevention programming for justice-involved women with histories of violence victimization and perpetration. This randomized controlled trial reports the results of a peer-facilitated model of the BV program implemented in a women's prison. Women volunteered for the intervention and the study. Participants were randomized to either the 20-session BV condition or to a waitlist control (WC) condition. All 145 participants were asked to complete a preintervention (Time 1) and postintervention (Time 2) survey that included validated measures to assess for depression, anxiety, PTSD, anger/aggression, and emotional dysregulation. Preliminary analyses of the background characteristics and preintervention outcome scores showed no significant differences between the groups at Time 1, indicating that randomization was successful. Separate ANCOVAs were run for 13 outcomes measured using the pretest scores from study participants as the covariate and group assignment as the independent variable. Hypotheses were predominantly supported, and findings showed that the BV participants had significant reductions in the majority of the outcome measures at the postintervention assessment when compared to the WC participants. Future research should continue to explore the advantages of peer-facilitated program models and should incorporate postrelease outcomes to assess change over time. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

More than half of suicide deaths in the United States result from self-inflicted firearm injuries. Extreme risk protection order (ERPO) laws in 21 states and the District of Columbia temporarily limit access to firearms for individuals found in a civil court process to pose an imminent risk of harm to themselves or others. Research with large multistate study populations has been lacking to determine effectiveness of these laws. This study assembled records pertaining to 4,583 ERPO respondents in California, Connecticut, Maryland, and Washington. Matched records identified suicide decedents and self-injury method. Researchers applied case fatality rates for each suicide method to estimate nonfatal suicide attempts corresponding to observed deaths. Comparison of counterfactual to observed data patterns yielded estimates of the number of lives saved and number of ERPOs needed to avert one suicide. Estimates varied depending on the assumed probability that a gun owner who attempts suicide will use a gun. Two evidence-based approaches yielded estimates of 17 and 23 ERPOs needed to prevent one suicide. For the subset of 2,850 ERPO respondents with documented suicide concern, comparable estimates were 13 and 18, respectively. This study's findings add to growing evidence that ERPOs can be an effective and important suicide prevention tool., (© 2024 American Academy of Psychiatry and the Law.)

Background: Research on violence exposure emphasizes discrete acute events such as direct and witnessed victimization. Little is known about the broad range of experiences of violence (EVs) in daily life. This study assesses the prevalence and patterns of distribution of 6 EVs in an adult general population. Methods: California state-representative survey administered online (English and Spanish), July 14–27, 2020. Adult (age ≥ 18 years) California resident members of the Ipsos KnowledgePanel were eligible to participate. Two EVs concerned community environments: (1) the occurrence of gunshots and shootings in the neighborhood and (2) encounters with sidewalk memorials where violent deaths occurred. Four concerned social networks: direct personal knowledge of individuals who (1) had purposefully been shot by someone else or (2) had purposefully shot themselves, and direct personal knowledge of individuals whom respondents perceived to be at risk of violence, either (3) to another person or (4) to themselves. Main outcome measures, expressed as weighted percentages with 95% confidence intervals (CIs), were the prevalence and extent (or dose) of each EV and of EVs in combination and associations between EVs and respondents' sociodemographic characteristics and firearm ownership status. Results: Of 2870 respondents (57% completion rate), 52.3% (95% CI 49.5–55.0%) were female; mean [SD] age was 47.9 [16.9] years. Nearly two-thirds (64.6%, 95% CI 61.9–67.3%) reported at least 1 EV; 11.4% (95% CI 9.7–13.2%) reported 3 or more. Gender was not associated with the prevalence of any experience. Non-owners of firearms who lived with owners reported more extensive EVs through social networks than did firearm owners or non-owners in households without firearms. Knowledge of people who had been shot by others was most common among Black respondents, 31.0% (95% CI 20.9–43.3%) of whom knew 2 or more such persons. Knowledge of people who had shot themselves was greatest among respondents aged ≥ 60 years, but knowledge of persons perceived to be at risk of violence to themselves was greatest among respondents aged 18–29 years. Conclusions and relevance: Experiences of violence in daily life are widespread. They occur in sociodemographic patterns that differ from those for direct victimization and suggest new opportunities for research and intervention. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

People experiencing homelessness experience high rates of physical assault. While this high risk for victimization is well established, there is no research that examines whether victimization rates change over time as persons transition into permanent supportive housing (PSH). Data are from a longitudinal study of adults moving into PSH in the Los Angeles, CA area. Interviews were conducted prior to or within 5 days of moving in, with follow-up interviews at 3, 6, and 12 months after move-in (n = 370 participants completing all four interviews). Each interview assessed characteristics of past 3-month physical assault. Analyses examined change in rates of assault over time and differences by demographic subgroups. We also present findings on the most common locations and perpetrators of assault. Overall, rates of physical assault decreased after participants entered PSH. Statistically significant differences by subgroups varied by time point. Differences identified include higher rates of physical assault among Latino/a respondents, lower rates among African Americans, and higher rates of physical assault among lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) respondents. The most frequent location of assault was outside at baseline, 3- and 6-month time points. Strangers were the most common perpetrator at all time points. Rates of perpetration by neighbors nearly doubled from baseline to the 12-month time point, and inside locations for assault were most common at this time point as well. While PSH is an effective intervention in reducing chronic homelessness, it is important to consider other risks to overall health and well-being, such as physical victimization. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Research Summary: In this article, we detail recent efforts in California to identify and target high‐risk firearm owners to help prevent firearm violence, including mass shootings. We begin by describing gun violence restraining orders, also known as extreme risk protection orders, which provide a judicial mechanism for firearm recovery and a time‐limited prohibition on firearm purchases. Next, we discuss California's Armed and Prohibited Persons (APPS) database and enforcement system. APPS is used to identify newly prohibited persons among legal firearm owners and to help law enforcement recover those firearms. Finally, we highlight early research in which machine learning for rare event detection is employed to forecast individual risk using California's decades worth of firearm transaction records and other readily available administrative data. Policy Implications: The approaches described range in scale, scope, and strategy, but all three allow for targeted intervention at times of heightened risk. In so doing, they offer the potential to provide outsized benefits to efforts to prevent mass violence. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article is an excerpt of a master's thesis paper. It is titled working because when this paper is submitted to the Pepperdine Policy Review Journal, the author will still be making edits and changes to the content, recommendations, and organization of her research. This purpose of this excerpt submission is to raise awareness about the inaction of the state of California to prevent domestic violence for middle school and high school students through prevention education, substantiated by the author's case studies analysis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Experiences of heterosexist and racist discrimination, sexuality-based victimization, and vicarious exposure to hate violence constitute pervasive and severe sources of social stress that adversely impact diurnal patterns of adrenocortical functioning (via salivary cortisol) and have enduring effects on the mental health of ethnically/racially diverse lesbian, gay, bisexual, and queer (LGBQ) young adults. Yet, little is known about how these experiences of minority stress are associated with diurnal adrenocortical and psychological functioning among ethnically/racially diverse LGBQ young adults. In three unique studies guided through the application of the intersectionality, minority stress, and allostatic load frameworks, we examined 1) whether sexuality-based peer victimization and diurnal adrenocortical patterns predicted contemporaneous depressive symptoms and trajectories of depressive symptoms; 2) whether experiences of heterosexist and racist discrimination were associated with disruptions to diurnal adrenocortical patterns and challenges to identity integration; and 3) whether diurnal adrenocortical responses in the days following the Pulse nightclub massacre on June 12, 2016 varied in a time-dependent manner. Data used in these studies were from the the Sexual Orientation and Psychosocial Adjustment Study, collected in Northern California. Overall, the findings suggested that direct and indirect experiences of hate violence adversely impacted diurnal adrenocortical functioning, psychosocial processes related multiply marginalized identity integration, and mental health. These physiological responses to discrimination, victimization, and violent crimes support policy efforts to protect vulnerable communities, including violence prevention, gun control, and community-based trauma response services for those directly and indirectly affected by hate violence and gun violence. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article reports findings on violence, safety, and coping strategies from interviews conducted with 281 male youth incarcerated in California’s Division of Juvenile Justice (DJJ). Descriptive analyses revealed that youth report that violence is a common occurrence and that some locations, such as school or housing units, were particularly dangerous. Analysis of how youth avoid violence revealed three distinct precautionary or coping strategies. These three categories highlight a range of conflict management techniques from avoidance to aggression. Those youth who were younger, sex offenders, or newer to the facility used more passive avoidance techniques while gang members and those more active in violent misconduct used more aggressive techniques. A third group, those youth proactively navigating their interactions, had spent more time in their current institution and were marginally more likely to be adult court commitments. Intervention and policy implications of this study are also discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Insane Clown Posse is a musical duo whose fans are known as Juggalos. Many homeless youths (HY) identify as Juggalos, most likely because the group's music embraces poverty and being an outsider in mainstream society. Juggalos are stereotyped as being violent, undereducated, poor, racist, crime-committing youth, and in 2011 the FBI officially labeled Juggalos as a gang. However, little is known about the intersection of HY and Juggalos. A convenience sample of Los Angeles-area, drop-in service-seeking HY completed a self-administered questionnaire (N = 495). In the sample, 15 % of HY identified as Juggalos. Juggalo-identifying youth were more likely to have experienced childhood trauma, including physical and sexual abuse and witnessing community violence. Multivariable models revealed that identifying as a Juggalo was associated with increased odds of recent methamphetamine use, ecstasy use, chronic marijuana use, and prescription drug misuse. Juggalos were also more likely to experience suicidal ideation, attempt suicide, recently engage in interpersonal violence, become injured during a fight, and have unprotected sex. In conclusion, Juggalos constitute a unique subpopulation of HY. Implications for Juggalo-specific trauma-informed services, rather than punitive, are discussed as well as the potential for future research regarding resiliency associated with Juggalo identification. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: The purpose of the present study was to investigate the impact of gender and other variables commonly associated with intimate partner abuse perpetration on program completion and pretreatment abusiveness profiles among a sample of men and women ordered into a 52-week batterer intervention program (BIP). Method: The study employed a posttest only design with nonequivalent groups (comparing program completers to dropouts and men to women) in an analysis of 175 clients mandated into a BIP. Results: Analysis indicated that there were no significant differences between men and women in terms of program completion and that women were significantly more likely than men to report engaging in severe physical abuse perpetration, and a logistic regression analysis indicated that dropouts were 6 times more likely to have initiated physical abuse compared to completers. Conclusion: These findings reveal characteristics of BIP program participants as they relate to self-reported abusiveness and provide preliminary evidence suggesting that both BIP pretreatment profiles and treatment completion rates of men and women are similar, with implications for policy and treatment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Latino youth, particularly in rural settings, experience significant disparities in rates of teen pregnancy and violence. Few data are available regarding social and structural influences on Latino youth's developmental trajectories, specifically on factors that promote wellbeing and protect them from engagement in high-risk sexual and violence-related behaviors.Methods: Forty-two youth aged 13 to 19 years old were recruited from middle schools and youth leadership programs to participate in one of eight community-based focus groups in Salinas, a predominantly Latino, urban center in California's rural central coast. Focus groups covered youths' experiences with the risk and protective factors associated with exposure to violence and romantic relationships. Four researchers completed coding with a Grounded Theory approach, informed by the theoretical frameworks of the social ecological model and social capital. The study's design and participant recruitment were informed by a community advisory board of local youth-serving organizations and health care providers.Results: Participants described family lives rich in bonding social capital, with strong ties to parents and near-peer family members. They reported that while parents had a strong desire to promote healthful behaviors and social mobility, they often lacked the bridging or linking social capital required to help youth navigate structural systems, such as college applications and access to confidential health care. Youth also reported that some families link their children to negative social capital, such as exposure to gang affiliation.Conclusion: Adolescents in this agricultural community identified robust sources of bonding social capital within their families. However, they identified limitations in their families' capacities to link them to structural resources in education, employment, and health care that could support healthful behaviors and upward social mobility. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background and objective Alcohol abuse is common in the USA and is a well-established risk factor for violence. Other drug use and criminal activity are risk factors as well and frequently occur together with alcohol abuse. Firearm ownership is also common; there are >50 million firearm owners in the USA. This study assesses the relationships between alcohol and drug abuse and future violence among firearm owners, which no prior research has done. Design and study population This records-based retrospective cohort study will involve all persons who legally purchased handguns in California in 2001 -- approximately 116 000 individuals--with follow-up through the end of 2013. Methods The principal exposures include prior convictions for alcohol-related and drug-related offenses. The primary outcome measure is an arrest following handgun purchase for a violent Crime Index offense: homicide, rape, robbery or aggravated assault. Subjects will be considered at risk for outcome events for only as long as their residence in California can be established independently of outcome events. Covariates include individual characteristics (eg, age, sex, criminal history, firearm purchase history) and community characteristics (eg, demographics, socioeconomic measures, firearm ownership and alcohol outlet density). We will employ survival analytic methods, expressing effects as HRs. Discussion The results of this large-scale study are likely to be generalisable and to have important implications for violence prevention policies and programmes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article reports the decision of U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit in the case "United States v. Ermoian" in which court held that held that an investigation led by the U.S Federal Bureau of Investigation did not fall within the definition of an official proceeding. It reports that case came to the court as a result of a 2006 investigation by the Central Valley Gang Impact Task Force, a group funded by the Department of Justice to eliminate gang-related crimes in California.

Objective/Purpose A major challenge in economically marginalized neighborhoods across the United States and around the world is the proliferation of local street gangs and the violence they perpetuate. While estimates vary from place to place, in the United States approximately 10% to 19% of youth between the ages of 12 and 16 are likely to join a local street gang in these high-risk areas. While a substantial proportion of those who join a gang drop out relatively quickly (within a year or so), others remain involved over several years. Prolonged involvement in a street gang frequently results in violent injury or death among gang-involved youth and among innocent victims. Communities and families facing these problems are looking for ways to discourage gang involvement before it starts. Methods Here we report a test of the prospective validity of an assessment that supports concentrated prevention efforts focused on the youth most likely to join a gang. This approach, called secondary gang prevention, works intensively to remediate influences that motivate high-risk youth to join a neighborhood gang. The prospective validity of the Gang Risk of Entry Factors (GREF) assessment was tested over a 12 to 18 month period (baseline to retest) in a high-risk sample of 11 to 16 year old youth in Los Angeles County. Results The findings confirm the assessment's effectiveness in prospectively identifying the youth most likely to join a gang within impacted communities. In the study sample, 100% of the boys who reported current gang membership, 81% of boys who report former gang membership, and 74% of the boys who reported hanging out with the gang at the posttest had been identified as high-risk 12 to 18 months earlier on the baseline assessment. All but one of the 14 girls in the study who reported any gang involvement (including just hanging out) on the posttest had been assessed as high-risk on the baseline interview. Conclusions The findings confirm the assessment's effectiveness in prospectively identifying the youth most likely to join a gang within impacted communities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article reports on nurses in California getting organized to save themselves from violence from the patients they treat. Experts say that hospitals, emergency rooms, mental health facilities and nursing homes have all faced increasing levels of workplace violence. At Napa State Hospital in October 2010, the residential mental health treatment facility had to wear personal alarms to trigger a call for security.

Objective The available evidence suggests that more restrictive state firearm sales laws can reduce criminal access to guns. California has firearm-related laws that are more stringent than many other states and regulates its retail firearms dealers to a unique degree. This research seeks to examine the effect of more restrictive state gun laws and regulations on the illegal diversion of guns to criminals. Design Survival analyses are used to determine whether state firearm sales laws, particularly California’s legal context and regulatory regime, impact the distribution of time-to-crime of recovered firearms in that state relative to other US states. Setting USA. Subjects 225 392 traced firearms, where the first retail purchasers and the gun possessors were different individuals, recovered by law enforcement agencies between 2003 and 2006. Results The increased stringency of state-level firearms laws and regulations leads to consistently older firearms being recovered. California was associated with the oldest recovered crime guns compared with guns associated with other states. These patterns persisted regardless of whether firearms were first purchased within the recovery state or in another state. Conclusions These findings suggest that more restrictive gun sales laws and gun dealer regulations do make it more difficult for criminals to acquire new guns first purchased at retail outlets. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The gun violence restraining order (GVRO) is a new tool for preventing gun violence. Unlike traditional approaches to prohibiting gun purchase and possession, which rely on a high threshold (adjudication by criminal justice or mental health systems) before intervening, the GVRO allows family members and intimate partners who observe a relative's dangerous behavior and believe it may be a precursor to violence to request a GVRO through the civil justice system. Once issued by the court, a GVRO authorizes law enforcement to remove any guns in the respondent's possession and prohibits the respondent from purchasing new guns. In September 2014, California's governor signed AB1014 into law, making California the first U.S. state to enact a GVRO law. This article describes the GVRO and the rationale behind the concept, considers case examples to assess the potential impact of the GVRO as a strategy for preventing gun violence, and reviews the content of the California law. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In a policy arena characterized by polarized debate, such as the consideration of legal interventions to prevent gun violence, research evidence is an important tool to inform decision-making processes. However, unless the evidence is communicated to stakeholders who can influence policy decisions, the research will often remain an academic exercise with little practical impact. The Educational Fund to Stop Violence's process of 'unfreezing' individual perceptions and conventional interpretations of the relationship between mental illness and gun violence, forming a consensus, and translating this knowledge to stakeholders through state discussion forums is one way to inform policy change. The recent passage of gun violence prevention legislation in California provides an example of successfully closing the knowledge translation gap between research and decision-making processes. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: Evaluate whether Beyond Blame, a violence prevention media literacy curriculum, is associated with improved knowledge, beliefs and behaviours related to media use and aggression. Methods: Using a quasi-experimental design, from 2007 to 2008, teachers from schools across Southern California administered the curriculum with or without training or served as controls. Students were tested before and after the curriculum was implemented, and during the fall semester of the next academic year. Multivariate hierarchical regression was used to compare changes from baseline to follow-up between the intervention and control groups. Results: Compared with controls, at the first post-test, students in the trained and untrained groups reported increased knowledge of five core concepts/key questions of media literacy, increased self-rated exposure to media violence, as well as stronger beliefs that media violence affects viewers and that people can protect themselves by watching less. Regarding behaviours, controls were more likely to report ≥8 h of media consumption at the second post-test than at baseline (OR=2.11; 95% CI 1.13 to 3.97), pushing or shoving another student (OR=2.16; 95% CI 1.16 to 4.02) and threatening to hit or hurt someone (OR=2.32; 95% CI 1.13 to 4.78). In comparison, there was no increase in these behaviours in the trained and untrained groups. Conclusions: This study suggests media literacy can be feasibly integrated into schools as an approach to improving critical analysis of media, media consumption and aggression. Changing the way youth engage media may impact many aspects of health, and an important next step will be to apply this framework to other topics. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Risk assessment differs from other medical interventions in that the welfare of the patient is not the immediate object of the intervention. However, improving the risk assessment process may reduce the chance of risk assessment itself being unjust. We explore the ethical arguments in relation to risk assessment as a medical intervention, drawing analogies, where applicable, with ethical arguments raised by general medical investigations. The article concludes by supporting the structured professional judgement approach as a method of risk assessment that is most consistent with the respect for principles of medical ethics. Recommendations are made for the future direction of risk assessment indicated by ethical theory. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Intimate partner violence (IPV) is as prevalent in lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) relationships as it is in heterosexual ones; however, the issues, needs, and challenges associated with assisting or advocating on behalf of LGBT persons are poorly understood. Using community-based participatory approaches, we conducted a brief survey of professionals (e.g., shelter staff, domestic violence prevention and intervention programs, law enforcement) affiliated with one or more domestic violence prevention and/or intervention networks in Los Angeles, California. The sample, which included professionals (N = 54) from diverse programs/agencies, was obtained using purposive and snowball sampling. Participants self-administered a 33-item, online questionnaire. Analyses primarily involved descriptive statistics (frequencies, proportions). Most respondents had little or no training in LGBT IPV; nevertheless, nearly 50% of them reported having assisted LGBTs “sometimes” or “often” in the past year. Nearly all (92%) reported that their agencies/programs lack staff with dedicated responsibilities to LGBT IPV. The most frequent requests for assistance respondents reported receiving from LGBTs were for counseling, safe housing, legal assistance, and assistance navigating the medical system. The findings suggest that staff believe their agencies/programs inadequately address LGBT IPV but that many of the inadequacies (e.g., lack of staff training on LGBT IPV) are remediable. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

The article discusses prison discipline, Title 15 of the California Code of Regulations on inmates (Title 15), and the social conditions at the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation's State Prison-Solano facility as of May 2013. It states that the main purpose of Title 15 is to ensure the safety and security of California prisons through the isolation of violent inmates in solitary confinement cells. Drug, tobacco, and alcohol use in prison are also examined.

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effectiveness ofBeyond Blame: Challenging Violence in the Media, at increasing students' knowledge about the effects of media violence and the core concepts of media literacy. During the 2007–2008 academic year, 1,693 sixth–eighth grade students from school districts around southern California participated in the study. Students were assigned to one of three treatment conditions: trained teacher, untrained teacher or control. Compared with controls, students in both intervention groups were more likely to agree that media violence may cause aggression, fear, desensitization and an appetite for more media violence at the post-test. Students in the trained group were also more likely than controls to understand the five core concepts/key questions of media literacy post-intervention. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Created in 1983 in Los Angeles, The Drug Abuse Resistance Education, D.A.R.E. is a comprehensive drug and violence prevention program for children ranging in ages from kindergarten through 12th grade. The D.A.R.E. program is constantly challenged by the media and advertisements, parental habits, and social interactions with new peer groups nationwide. The literature tells us that well planned and implemented prevention programs are necessary to keep our children safe. Though the rigor of research studies has improved, there continues to be a need for more specifically targeted programs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

BACKGROUND: To understand how neighborhoods influence the development of youth violence, we investigated intrapersonal mediators of the relationship between neighborhood disadvantage and youth violence trajectories between ages 11 and 18. The hypothesized mediators included indicators of social bonding (belief in conventional values, involvement in school activities, religious engagement, and commitment to traditional goals) and psychological distress. METHODS: The sample (N = 5118) was 50% female and 52% Caucasian. Data from a 5-wave panel study spanning ages 11 to 18 were analyzed using sex-stratified multilevel growth curves. RESULTS: Neighborhood disadvantage was associated with higher levels of violence perpetrated by girls, lower belief in conventional values for both girls and boys, less commitment to traditional goals by girls, and higher levels of psychological distress reported by girls. Sobel tests identified 3 significant mediators of the effects of neighborhood disadvantage on girls' violence trajectories: belief in conventional values, commitment to traditional goals, and psychological distress. The only significant mediator of the relationship between neighborhood disadvantage and boys' violence trajectories was belief in conventional values. The effects of neighborhood disadvantage on violence trajectories were not fully mediated; in fact, results suggested that suppression effects, or inconsistent mediation, may exist. CONCLUSIONS: The results emphasize the importance of both contextual and intrapersonal attributes in understanding the development of violence among school-aged youth. Early school-based and community-level prevention initiatives that promote social bonding and address mental health needs may help reduce the impact of youth violence, particularly for girls. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

BACKGROUND: Multiculturalism has been purported to be supportive of positive youth development and outcomes. This study examined the relationship between perceived school multiculturalism-whether youth felt and thought that their school and teachers supported and provided activities for diverse intergroup interactions-and serious interpersonal violence, and explored whether this relation was mediated by civic engagement, ethnic identity, ethnocultural empathy, and positive peers. METHODS: An ethnically diverse sample of 324 middle-school youth (mean age: 12.5 years; range: 11-15 years; sex: 50% female) from a city in northern California participated in the study. Analyses consisted of structural equation modeling with bootstrapping. RESULTS: The results revealed a negative association between school multiculturalism and interpersonal violence that was fully mediated by positive peers and civic engagement. Although school multiculturalism was positively associated with ethnic identity, ethnic identity, in turn, was not significantly associated with interpersonal violence. CONCLUSIONS: School multiculturalism is an important protective factor against youth violence by facilitating positive peer relationships and community engagement among youth. Teachers, administrators, and health officials need to consider the ways in which they can facilitate and encourage greater understanding, openness, and respect for diversity, and promote harmonious interactions among different groups at schools. Greater institutional support for school multiculturalism through implementation of tolerance curriculum and activities, for example, could in turn facilitate favorable youth outcomes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article discusses Youth Movement (YM), a university, community, and school collaborative in East Bay in Oakland, California designed to improve race relations. It focuses on violent conflicts between Latino and African American students at East Oakland High School (EHS) and the efforts of YM to create multiracial student teams for school-based reform efforts. Other topics covered include social capital at EHS, social conditions for African Americans in Oakland, and the relationship between EHS and the local community.

Women in abusive relationships are at risk for sexually transmitted infections (STIs), but the strategies they use to protect themselves from such infections have not been studied. Using the descriptive qualitative approach of thematic analysis, I explored those strategies among formerly abused women and examined the role of pregnancy as a protective factor for both STIs and intimate partner violence (IPV). Women described creative strategies, but as the abuse continued, women came to realize that the only way to protect themselves was to leave the relationship. Health care providers are well situated to provide information and support to abused women. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Bayview Hunters Point Foundation for Community Improvement is a nonprofit organization established in 1971 to defend the legal rights of African-Americans living in its community. Over the years, the agency diversified its services to include mental health and substance abuse treatment, violence prevention, youth programming, and HIV services. The organization has overcome multiple challenges during its 37-year history in relation to social, political, and economic changes that have influenced the way the organization has financed and delivered its services. The history of the organization presents a collaborative approach to community problem-solving and exemplifies the important role that external relationships play in relationship to nonprofit growth and survival. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article discusses community accountability and interventions in gender-based violence, focusing on the social activism program Creative Interventions (CI), which promotes alternative community-based responses to interpersonal violence. The article examines an incident of sexual assault at a Korean cultural community center in Oakland, California. Topics including the individuals' and communities' responsibilities in their response to violence and violent situations, the establishment of restorative and transformative justice systems in the U.S., and the StoryTelling and Organizing Project (STOP).

Objective To examine whether business improvement districts (BID) contributed to greater than expected declines in the incidence of violent crimes in affected neighbourhoods. Method A Bayesian hierarchical model was used to assess the changes in the incidence of violent crimes between 1994 and 2005 and the implementation of 30 BID in Los Angeles neighbourhoods. Results The implementation of BID was associated with a 12% reduction in the incidence of robbery (95% posterior probability interval −2 to 24) and an 8% reduction in the total incidence of violent crimes (95% posterior probability interval −5 to 21). The strength of the effect of BID on robbery crimes varied by location. Conclusion These findings indicate that the implementation of BID can reduce the incidence of violent crimes likely to result in injury to individuals. The findings also indicate that the establishment of a BID by itself is not a panacea, and highlight the importance of targeting BID efforts to crime prevention interventions that reduce violence exposure associated with criminal behaviours. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

The article discusses a pilot study examining the feasibility of a media literacy curriculum called Beyond Blame: Challenging Violence in the Media, as a full-scale intervention. Topics include an overview of the research methodology, which incorporated the use of intervention and control groups that had a basic knowledge of the Beyond Blame's baseline curriculum, and the results of pre- and post-test scores from both groups.

Objective: This article reports the results of the Sacramento Neighborhood Alcohol Prevention Project (SNAPP). SNAPP set as its goal the reduction of alcohol access, drinking, and related problems in two low-income, predominantly ethnic minority neighborhoods, focusing on individuals between the ages 15 and 29, an age group identified with high rates of alcohol-involved problems.Method: Two neighborhoods in Sacramento were selected to be the intervention sites because they were economically and ethnically diverse and had high rates of crime and other drinking-related problems. The quasi-experimental design of the study took a "phased" approach to program implementation and statistical examination of outcome data. Outcome-related data were collected in the intervention sites as well as in the Sacramento community at large. Five project interventions included a mobilization component to support the overall project, a community awareness component, a responsible beverage-service component, an underage-access law enforcement component, and an intoxicated-patron law enforcement component. Archival data were collected to measure and evaluate study outcomes and to provide background and demographic information for the study.Results: Overall, we found significant (p < .05) reductions in assaults as reported by police, aggregate emergency medical services (EMS) outcomes, EMS assaults, and EMS motor vehicle accidents.Conclusions: Results from the Sacramento Neighborhood Alcohol Prevention Project demonstrate the effectiveness of neighborhood-based interventions in the reduction of alcohol-related problems such as assaults, motor vehicle crashes, and sale of alcohol to minors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Federal law prohibits the purchase or possession of a firearm by persons convicted of misdemeanor domestic violence and those under certain domestic violence restraining orders. The purpose of this investigation is to examine public sentiment about the removal of firearms in the absence of a restraining order or misdemeanor conviction following domestic violence. An experimental vignette design was used in a telephone survey of a cross-sectional statewide sample of 522 community-residing adults in California. Study design and population weights were applied; the findings, thus, are a reasonable approximation for the population of California. In more than 3,500 vignettes, the abusive behavior was judged to be wrong, illegal, or should be illegal (98.7%, 73.1%, and 77.7%, respectively). Although only about one half (56.5%) of the scenarios were thought to merit the issuance of a restraining order, three fourths (77.4%) were thought to merit the removal of firearms. Multivariate analyses indicated greater support for firearms removal when the abuse involved sexual or physical abuse (adjusted odds ratio [AOR] ranged from 2.65 to 5.64) or a gun (AOR = 6.54). Men were the sole population group with significantly lower support for firearm removal following domestic violence (AOR = 0.39). The men who wanted firearms to remain did not differ from other men on any of the measured variables. In sum, there is substantial support, especially when a gun is displayed in a domestic violence incident, for policies requiring the removal of firearms from abusers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Focuses on the two disciplines of public health and law enforcement and how they cooperate to protect public health and safety. The collaboration of the Los Angeles Police Department's HAZMAT (hazardous materials) team with local and state health departments and other public service organizations; The roles of public health and criminal justice in violence prevention; Examples of collaboration, including the National Violence Against Women Survey and the National Violent Death Reporting System; The public health issue of gun violence which is addressed by the Office of the United States Attorney's Project Safe Neighborhoods program; The responsibilities of the U.S. Federal Bureau of Investigation in public health threats; The need for emergency and disaster preparedness training.

: BackgroundAlthough violence against women is gaining international attention as a prevention priority, little is known about how risks differ across countries.: MethodsA comparative study of violence against pregnant Mexican women in Morelos, Mexico, and Latina women in Los Angeles County, California, United States. In 1998 and 1999, women in prenatal clinics were interviewed about psychological abuse and sexual and physical violence by their partner, during and the 1 year prior to the index pregnancy. The overall response rate for Morelos was 99%, with a sample size of 914; Los Angeles County had a response rate of 96.9%, with a sample size of 219.: ResultsWomen in Morelos reported a higher prevalence of violence compared to women in the California (14.8% v 11.9%, respectively). A partner aged <20 years was associated with increased violence in both countries, but the association of violence with other socioeconomic factors differed by country. For example, employed women had higher odds of violence in California but lower odds in Morelos. Women who experienced violence during both the year prior to pregnancy and as a child were more than 25 times more likely to be abused during pregnancy than women not reporting this type of abuse.: ConclusionThe identification of factors associated with violence against women, especially as they differ by culture and ethnicity, will help clinicians to better identify victims and to design and implement culturally appropriate prevention programs. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Utilizing the analogy of violence to a volcano, with its seething preconditions that ultimately lead to an eruption, this paper applies negotiated order theory to an analysis of violent outbreaks in 1992-93 in Los Angeles and numerous German cities but not in Chicago, New York, or Dresden. Such theoretical considerations as assumptions, perceptions, power relationships, social structure, communication, and interaction strategies emerge as pertinent considerations. Despite different cultures and histories, similar patterns in Germany and the United States are found, suggesting one possible means of proactive steps to prevent violence. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Prior to the Tarasoff decisions, jurisprudence pertaining to the duty to warn, or inform, to prevent violence to third persons, was separate from that pertaining to the duty to control to prevent such violence. The Tarasoff Principle consolidated preventive obligations in the face of foreseeable violence under a single "duty to protect." Even as courts adopted divergent rules for establishing foreseeability, many held to a single duty to protect with warnings as one possibility for fulfilling this option. Particularly over the past decade, courts have again disengaged the duty to warn and the duty to control, each requiring different legal predicates to occur. In recent years, courts have upheld or rejected a duty to warn, upheld or rejected a duty to control; and several courts have, within a single opinion, articulated fundamental distinctions between these two separate protective duties. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Examines California pediatricians' provision of violence prevention services to their adolescent patients and identifies factors associated with pediatricians' implementation of these services. Factors associated with violence prevention intervention practices.