Knife crime Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Knife crime - Essay Example 4. Introduction to the Research Topic (300 words) Knife carrying In this section you should provide some background to the research topic and describe why you consider your research to be important. Knife carrying among American youth is a cause of concern for educators and civic administrators alike. Knife carrying, along with other weapons such as guns, are significant contributors to youth crime in the country. Recent episodes of youth crime and violence in our schools have prompted many school administrators and psychologists to seek explanations for violence committed by students. Even extensive research projects have been undertaken toward identifying risk factors and behaviors associated with knife-carrying by youth. As of now, the relationship between violent acts and knife-carrying is firmly established. Indeed, â€Å"carrying  a weapon has been associated with physical violence), and in and of itself is a high-risk behavior that concerns stakeholders who are trying to ke ep schools safe.† (Malecki & Demaray, 2003, p.172) Moreover, exposure to knife-crime and gun violence profoundly affects the psychology of victims, even if it affects them only indirectly. For example, exposure to violence can desensitize young people to the use of violence as a means to conflict resolution. In the social sphere, carrying knifes and witnessing/participating in crimes can limit an individual’s ability to develop meaningful interpersonal relationships. There is also the danger of physical harm. Equally important is the fact that children who are exposed to violent crimes do poorly in school and hold little hope for a productive and fulfilling future for themselves. Further, such people can instigate the cycle of exposure to violence all over again when it comes to their own children. Hence, the subject of knife-carrying is of great sensitivity and relevance to politicians, parents and educators. Upon its successful resolution lie the prospects for a harmo nious society. (Garbarino, et.al, 2002, p.73) The purpose of this research exercise is to learn more about the issue by studying published literature as well as gathering information through direct research. Upon analyzing the information assembled thus, constructive suggestions can be given to Metropolitan Police Departments, to the youth and to the advertisers, so that our society functions in a more peaceful manner. Special attention is also given to claims of 1.self-defense as the primary motivation behind knife-carrying, 2. the usefulness of stop-n-search operations and 3. the effectiveness of advertisements in curbing this behavior. There is a substantial body of scholarly literature published on the issue of weapon-carrying, although studies focusing exclusively on knife-carrying are few in number. This makes a case for this research project, which is intended to fill that void. 5. Literature Review (800 words) In this section you should discuss what academic research and deb ates have gone on in this area and what conclusions and comments were made by those. Please in this section reference everything and from literature review, (date. Page, year) 1. Find literature review on knife carrying why do youth carry weapon? 2. Find literature review on stop and search 3. Find literature review on advertisement regarding knife carrying At last reference everything you have done research and reference in Harvard Surveying broader literature on the subject, we understand that adolescents in the United States are carrying