Lost Youth: A County-by-County Analysis of 2012 California Homicide Victims Ages 10 to 24

Abstract

The annual study analyzes unpublished data from the California Department of Justice Supplementary Homicide Report (SHR) and ranks California’s counties by their homicide victimization rates for young people 10 to 24 years old [Note: some information varies by county, depending on how local law enforcement codes certain information, such as gang involvement]. This is the fourth consecutive year that the VPC has released Lost Youth.…the study also presents in-depth interviews with leaders from three community-based organizations working to reduce youth violence: the Coalition for Responsible Community Development (CRCD) in Los Angeles; InsideOUT Writers in Los Angeles; and Youth UpRising in Oakland. The study also contains a discussion of the trauma that results from exposure to violence at an early age and the need for prevention versus “suppression” strategies in reducing youth violence. The study also finds that for youth and young adults ages 10 to 24 in the state, homicide — predominantly involving a firearm — was the leading cause of death for blacks, the second leading cause of death for Hispanics, the third leading cause of death for Asian/Pacific Islanders, and the fourth leading cause of death for whites. Study available in English and Spanish. (Violence Policy Center Press Release)