This morning I read a article in the "Chicago Tribune" re: youth violence.. Apparently there was a big conference over the weekend to discuss the causes and solutions to the growing problem of violence on the streets of Chicago and suburbs. I am sure that many of the people there are smart about this topic. I am also sure that this group entirely missed and did not discuss one of the largest causes of youth violence in our city and country: the lack of quality Special Education programs.
Ask any experienced police officer or jail/prison guard. They will tell you that 30-40% of ALL street criminals and jail inmates have disabilities! LD(Learning Disabilities), BD (Behavior Disorders), DD (Developmental Disabilities), Cognitive Processing problems, hearing loss, vision impairment, and on and on. Most of these same people dropped out of school very early. Why? Because the schools failed to offer Special Education that was excellent and appropriate for them! So, we have all these "experts" trying to stop violence, but they don't know anything about a large percentage of those committing the violence!
School districts are trying to keep young people from being put into Special Education programs to save money. School districts are cutting funds, reducing Special Education programs to balance their budgets. The result: more violence on our streets, and less understanding of the causes of this violence by the so-called "experts" who are supposed to protect us, and are doing a lousy job of that!