Adolescent Violence in Colorado: A Deep Dive into Racial, Gender, and Dating Abuse Trends

A report by the Department of Justice based on data collected between 2017 and 2019 highlighted that Colorado has a crime rate twice the national average (Espelage et al., 2022). The report was based on a survey of reported crimes as well as unreported crimes from individuals who reside in Colorado. According to Colorado Crime Statistics (2023), there was a steady increase in the rate of crime in the. state between 2019 and 2022.

Subculture of Violence

The paper focuses on violence against Adolescents in Colorado, including violence based on, sex, gender, and race. It also considers violence between partners. Sexual violence includes physical-based violence such as rape, verbal sexual violence, groping, and any other form of unwanted touch. Additionally, Adolescents in the state reported cyber sexual harassment.

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Regarding racial and ethnic violence, adolescents from racially segregated neighborhoods had higher rates of violence. Individuals also reported violent acts by their dating partners which included sexual abuse, physical aggression, and stalking. The Center for Disease Control (2023) reported that one in twelve high school students in the United States experienced some form of violence from their dating partners. African-American students reported higher sexual violence (Espelage et al., 2022). Regarding gender violence, gender minorities experienced higher online sexual violence than females.

Conclusion

Colorado’s crime rate is about twice the national average when unreported crimes are included. The various forms of violence experienced in the state include sexual violence, dating violence, gender violence, and race violence. Statistics based on Adolescent violence pointed out the different forms of violence such as dating violence, sexual violence, and gender violence revealing gender disparities in online sexual violence. The statistics showed racial and ethnic violence was more prevalent in segregated neighborhoods.

References

CDC. (2023). Fast Facts: Preventing Teen Dating Violence. Available at: https://www.cdc.gov/violenceprevention/intimatepartnerviolence/teendatingviolence/fastfact.html

Colorado Crime Statistics. (2023). Violent Crime-Colorado-2023. Available at: https://coloradocrimestats.state.co.us/tops/report/violent-crimes/colorado/2023

Espelage, D. L., Liu, G. S., Valido, A., Kuehl, T., Basile, K. C., & Nickodem, K. K. (2022). Violence perpetration prevalence among Colorado (United States) high school students across gender, racial/ethnic, and sexual identities. Preventive medicine, 161, 107146.Adolescent Violence in Colorado: A Deep Dive into Racial, Gender, and Dating Abuse Trends