Early Intervention Offers Best Hope of Curbing Explosion of Youth Crime : Violence: Services to those 9 to 15 are lacking. Society needs to know what leads some children astray, why others succeed.

Too young to drive, too young to vote, too young to pull the trigger? According to the state Assembly Office of Research, teens committing murder rose 64% between 1987 and 1992.

In the same study, middle and high school officials reported 69,191 assaults at school and confiscated 5,107 guns and knives during the 1988-89 school year.

Young victims of violence are no exception to this explosive equation. Guns and children spell cold-blooded murder. Orange County is no stranger to this dangerous, often deadly mix. A dozen of the more than 70 homicide victims so far in 1995 were 17 years old or younger. In six of those cases, the suspect is also a juvenile.

Murder remains devastating and heart-wrenching for families; deadly and senseless for victims. When children murder children, even the toughest weep. It happens even in nice neighborhoods, to nice kids. Violence has crossed the jagged barrio lines to touch your son, your student, your friend. Recently murdered was a young Orange County boy with a very sweet face. Local law enforcement called it “a case of children killing other children for no other good reason than stereo equipment.”

When will the violence against children stop? When will we pause to look at the horror? Even for just a moment, to take notice, to refuse to accept the unacceptable.

As a society, we often no longer honor even very basic human rights like dignity and respect for each other. Acts of violence have lost their shock value.

What are some of the causes of violence against young people? Sure, in a lot of cases drugs are involved in one way or another. Whether the perpetrator kills a victim over cash for a quick fix or is high from the effects of the drug, violence and drug abuse often intertwine.

Besides drugs, more guns are available on the street. Almost half of California households report having one or more firearms, not to mention the high rate of stolen firearms. Guns are increasingly accessible to young people. You have the cash, you get the gun.

Guns are the leading cause of death among adolescents. They account for 37% of all deaths in 1992 among Californians ages 10 to 25.

And, who can ignore violence and the media? Murder does not discriminate among television, the big screen, the video arcade and the streets.

By the time the average child has completed sixth grade, he or she has seen 8,000 murders and 100,000 other acts of violence on television. They become desensitized and less fearful. And so do we. From gunshots to explosions to knife wounds, violence finds a way into our children’s viewing lives.

Children ages 9 to 15 are falling through the cracks and they are not receiving services targeted at pre-delinquency behavior. According to a report recently issued by the California Elected Women’s Assn. for Education and Research and the Assembly Office of Research, this is the age group when violent tendencies and other at-risk behavior occurs.

This window may also offer the best opportunity for prevention and intervention.

Research indicates that there is no single cause of youth violence. But what are the resiliency factors or indicators of success for the ones that do overcome poverty, neglect, or abuse? Some adolescents in even the most adverse situations survive, thrive and make it. How come? What can we learn from them?