Sam Brownback: “Today, Senator Lieberman and I will host a policy forum entitled ``The Young and the Violent: What is Behind the Spread…”

“Today, Senator Lieberman and I will host a policy forum entitled ``The Young and the Violent: What is Behind the Spread of Juvenile Violence--and What Can Be Done About It?'' The horror of the killings in Jonesboro, Arkansas; Paducah, Kentucky; Edinboro, Pennsylvania, Springfield, Oregon; Fayetteville, Tennessee, among other places, shattered forever the illusion that ``it can't happen here.'' The young and the violent are found in small towns as well as big cities, and their numbers, as well as their crimes, are growing. We will hear today from some of the most respected criminologists in the nation--as well as those who are working to transform their communities and solve their problems locally. Their insights on the causes, catalysts and consequences of the spread of juvenile crime are helpful in grappling with the most important questions of our time, namely: why has crime risen and civility declined? How have we failed to civilize our children? What is happening to our national character? Make no mistake, our culture has changed radically over the past few decades. Since the mid-1960s, violent juvenile crime has increased more than 500 percent. And even though teen violence has dropped over the past three years, teen murders have jumped dramatically since even the early 1980s--and there is reason to believe that they will continue to increase.”