Securing Our Children's Future

Book excerpt: A Brookings Institution Press and Governance Institute publication A nation of great resources, the United States is confronted all too often with headlines about shootings in schools and with the unsettling reality that homicide rates for juveniles far exceed that of other industrialized nations. The challenge of reducing youth violence has prompted a flurry of commentary, legislative activity, and scholarly studies—much of it skewed by lurid pronouncements, alarmist sentiments, and misleading categorizations. Focusing on the role of institutions in combating youth violence, this volume seeks to reflect its complex and multidimensional character. Copublished by the Governance Institute and the Brookings Institution, the book brings together a wide range of skilled professionals and academics across disciplines to focus on the coordination and implementation of youth anti-violence strategies. The work redefines the way we think institutionally about youth violence and collaborative initiatives, providing a pragmatic roadmap for constructive change. The essays constitute a new framework to guide key players in the juvenile justice system: prosecutors, the defense bar, the courts, correction and probation departments, faith-based institutions, schools, the media, nonprofit institutions, and the private sector.