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According to the CDC, youth violence is the third leading cause of death for people between the ages of 15 and 24. Risk factors for youth violence include:
  • A prior history of violence
  • Drug, alcohol, or tobacco use
  • Association with delinquent peers
  • Poor family functioning
  • Poor grades in school
  • Poverty in the community
This webpage provides information on violence prevention. There are several items in this section to help staff maintain a safe Job Corps center, including:
  • A five-module violence prevention training is available in Citrix (see SafetyNet for instructions) for Job Corps staff. This training will teach you all about preventing violence on center. After you successfully complete the associated quiz, you will earn a certificate.
  • Special topics, including:
    • Relationship Aggression (domestic violence, dating violence, domestic assault, and intimate partner violence)
    • Gang Violence Prevention
    • Gun violence
    • Responding to Incidents (Download the Critical Incident Crisis Intervention Plan)

Policy & Directives
​​ Core Components

Every center is responsible for implementing a violence and sexual assault-prevention program which is supported by the Center Director and administration. At a minimum, a successful violence and sexual assault-prevention program should have the following core components:
Planning
  • Identify staff members to play an active role in violence and sexual assault prevention. Staff members can include the center security official, residential living, SART members, etc.​​
  • Conduct focus groups with students/staff about problems encountered with violence or sexual assault/misconduct on center.
  • Uniformly enforce zero tolerance policy against violence.
Training Activities
  • All staff will participate in violence prevention training.
  • All students will receive violence prevention material.
  • Students will participate in anger management classes, as necessary.
Promotional Activities
  • Disseminate information about zero tolerance, intervention, and evaluation plans during CPP, at staff meetings, at assemblies, the center intranet website, and in the student handbook.
  • Build violence and sexual assault-prevention material into the Career Success Standards and Social Skills Training activities.
  • Contact federal, state, or local agencies for posters and brochures on violence and sexual assault-prevention.
Environmental Activities
  • Identify the "hot spots" on center where violence or assault may occur and alter supervisory patterns so staff is more present.
  • Ensure students have access to emergency telephones on center (e.g., blue light phone systems or other emergency phones).
Se​xual Assault Prevention​

Sexual assault prevention is incorporated into the violence prevention staff training and all other components of this toolkit. Information about sexual assault can be found in these sections:

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​ Relationship Agression

Definitions of the term "relationship aggression" (RA) vary widely. Relationship aggression is known by many names: domestic violence, dating violence, domestic assault, and intimate partner violence. Opinions are mixed on whether or not these terms all represent the same phenomenon. For the purposes of this training material, the term "pelationship aggression" refers to a number of behaviors used by one person in a relationship to control the other. These behaviors can include, but are not limited to, name calling, actual or threatened physical harm, stalking, intimidation, keeping a partner from keeping or getting a job, withholding money, keeping a partner from contacting friends or family members, unwanted sexual contact, as well as other acts of violence. Relationship aggression can happen on a regular basis or occasionally.

Hubert H. Humphry JCC interns Emma Bohmann, Ashley Mercer, and Sarah Rodenberg compiled and developed the following activities for staff and stude​nts:

For Staff
References
  • Archer, J. (2000). Sex differences in aggression between heterosexual partners: A meta-analytic review. Psychological Bulletin, 126(5), 651-680.
  • Jouriles, E. J., McDonald, R., Garrido, E., Rosenfield, D. & Brown, A.S. (2005). Assessing aggression in adolescent romantic relationships: Can we do it better? Psychological Assesssment, 17, 469-475.
  • Kwong, M.J, Bartholomew, K., Henderson, A.J.Z, and Trinke, S.J. (2003). The intergenerational transmission of relationship violence. Journal of Family Psychology, 17(3), 288-301.
  • O'Leary, K.D., Slep, A.M.S, & O'Leary. S. G. (2007). Multivariate models of men's and women's partner aggression. Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 75, 752-764.
For Students
Gang Violence Prevention

Although Job Corps is safer than the general population, the presence of gangs can create an unsafe environment. Gangs are actually responsible for most of the crime committed by young people nationwide. Seven percent of youth, mostly gang members, are responsible for 70 percent of juvenile crimes (Source: The National Center for Victims of Crime).

Your center should be proactive in stopping gang activity. The following activities may help prevent gang activity:
  • Forbid wearing of gang paraphernalia.
  • Provide support for victims of gang violence and intimidation.
  • Assimilate gang-oriented students into the mainstream
  • Remove graffiti immediately. This discourages graffiti and keeps its message, often a threat to another gang, from getting through.
  • Provide sports, dramatic, and recreational activities as alternatives to gang activity.
Recognizing Gang Signs

Are there gangs on your center? Take the following self assessment.

Is there gang activity on your center? Answer the following questions. If you answer yes to any of these questions, it's time to take proactive measures to eliminate gang presence on center.
  • Do you find graffiti on or near your center?
  • Do you find crossed out graffiti on or near your center grounds?
  • Do your students wear colors, jewelry, clothing; flash hand signals; or display other behavior that may be gang related after hours?
  • Are drugs available in or near your center?
  • Has there been an increase in physical confrontations or incidents of threats, abuse, or intimidation in or near your center?
  • Is there an increasing presence of weapons on your center?
  • Has there been a "drive-by" shooting near your center?
  • Has there been an increase in AWOLs in your center?
  • Are there an increasing number of "racial" incidents on your center?
  • Does your community near your center have a history of gangs?
  • Is there an increasing presence of informal social groups with unusual names on center?
  • Are there rumors about initiation nights on center?
Gang Violence Web Resources
Forms & Documents

Factsheets and Brochures

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