• Over 70 percent of School Resource Officers in the U.S. surveyed felt that aggressive behavior in elementary school children has increased in their districts in the past five years. (2003 NASRO School Resource Officer Survey, National Association of School Resource Officers) • Of children in sixth through tenth grade in the U.S., more than 3.2 million-nearly one in six-are victims of bullying each year, while 3.7 million bully other children. (“Bullying Prevention is Crime Prevention,” Fight Crime: Invest in Kids, 2003) • Nearly 60 percent of boys who researchers classified as bullies in grades six through nine were convicted of at least one crime by the age of 24. Even more dramatic, 40 percent of them had three or more convictions by age 24. (“Bullying Prevention is Crime Prevention,” Fight Crime: Invest in Kids, 2003) • A study on the cost-effectiveness of early intervention to prevent serious crime in California, showed that training for parents whose children exhibited aggressive behavior was estimated to have prevented 157 serious crimes (such as homicide, rape, arson and robbery) for every $1 million spent. In fact, training in parenting skills was estimated to be about three times as cost-effective as the so-called ‘‘three-strikes’’ law in California.
In the light of transparency, I was surprised to realize how much of our federal budget goes towards the military. Although I respect and honor the service of our military, I would like to see a shift in our investment towards peace. 85% of the Dept. of Peace Act (HR808) would address the causes of violence right here, within our own borders. Participation, collaboration, capacity building and the legal and policy challenges are all related.