Session 12: Public Safety and Family Centered Community Building
Monday, November 26

Major Themes to Be Covered

1. Trends over time and variation across space in fire, crime, youth violence, child abuse/neglect, accidents/injuries.

2. Subjective perceptions of safety and danger: relation to objective conditions and factors.

3. The effects of community-level danger on families and individuals.

4. How communities can deal with violence inside the family: domestic violence, spousal abuse, and child abuse.

5. Community building perspectives on public safety.

Students Will Learn

1. The family demography and neighborhood geography of public safety.

2. Public safety as objective and subjective.

3. How unsafe communities affect families and children.

4. A community systems perspective on public safety.

5. Best process in Family Centered Community Building for public safety.

Required Readings

Sampson RJ, Raudenbush SW, Earls F. 1997. Neighborhoods and violent crimes: A multilevel study of collective efficacy. Science. 277:918-924.

Reiss AJ, Roth, JA. 1993. Understanding and Preventing Violence. Washington, DC: National Academy of Press (pps. 2-27).

The Urban Seminar Series on Children's Health and Safety. May 2000. Youth Violence in Urban Communities. Cambridge, MA: Joblessness and Urban Poverty Research Program.