- In 1996, the National Center on Child Abuse and Neglect reported 969,018 cases of violent crimes committed against children
- In 1996-97, 10 percent of all public schools reported at least one serious violent crime to police or law enforcement (Bureau of Justice Statistics and Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention, U.S. Department of Justice).
- Gunshot wounds to children ages 16 and under have increased 300 percent in major urban areas since 1986.
- According to FBI reports, 2,900 juveniles were arrested for murder in 1996.
- Estimates indicate that as many as 5,000 children die each year as a result of mistreatment and abuse from parents or guardians.
- Everyday in America 16 children and youths are killed by firearms (Children's Defense Fund, 1998).
- Nearly a million U.S. students took guns to school during 1998 (Parents Resource Institute for Drug Education).
- Each year 123,400 children are arrested for violent crimes in the U.S. (Office of Juvenile Justice and Juvenile Delinquency Prevention, 1997).
- Persons under age 25 make up nearly 50 percent of all victims of a
serious violent crime (The Institute for Youth Development, 1998).
The American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry is a national, professional, non-profit medical organization established in 1953 to support and advance child and adolescent psychiatry through national public information, continuing medical education, and research. The 6,900 member child and adolescent psychiatrists actively research, evaluate, diagnose, and treat psychiatric disorders affecting children, adolescent, and their families. The AACAP disseminates information in an effort to remove the stigma associated with mental illnesses, promote prevention of mental illnesses, and assure proper treatment for the children and adolescents who suffer from mental, emotional, behavioral, or developmental disorders.
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