Violence is more than a criminal problem.
暴力行为不只是犯罪问题。
It's also a public health issue.
同时这也是公共健康问题。
More than 6,000 people are injured annually due to violence, mostly young people in low-income neighborhoods.
每年暴力行为使得超过6000人受伤,主要是低收入社区的年轻人。
Jobs programs for teens done with school have proven costly and seem to do little to reduce violence.
学校为青少年提供的工作代价高昂,但在减少暴力行为方面收效甚微。
But summer employment for kids still in school may be effective, according to a study by criminologist Sara Heller at the Universityof Pennsylvania.
而宾夕法尼亚大学刑事学者萨拉?海勒的一项研究显示在校青少年暑期打工或许能起到些作用。
She followed more than 1,600 young people, many of whom took part in a Chicago program called One Summer Plus.
这项研究对1600多名年轻人进行了跟踪调查,而当中很多人都参加了名为暑期打工的芝加哥项目。
It offers 8-week stints at jobs such as camp counselors, community gardeners, or government office workers at minimum wage.
青少年要从事为期8周的工作,诸如夏令营顾问、社区园丁或作为政府工作人员领着最低工资。
One group of kids worked 25 hours a week, with an adult mentor.
其中一组成员在一位成年导师的监督下一周要工作25小时。
Another group worked 15 hours and got 10 hours of social-emotional education.
另一组工作15小时并接受10小时的感性教育。
A control group got nothing.
相比之下对照组则不需要工作。
Based on school and police records,Heller found a 43 percent decrease in violent crime in the two groups that had jobs.
最终根据学校及警方记录,海勒发现参加工作两个小组成员的暴力犯罪率降低43%。
This lasted long after the program ended.
而这在项目结束后持续了很久。
The work apparently helps students learn to manage conflict, reduce frustration and improve self control.
很显然打工帮助学生们学会控制冲突、减少挫败感并改善自我控制力。
Heller concludes that intervention programs can be low-cost and effective, “even for a problem as destructive and complex as youth violence.”
海勒总结认为即使青少年暴力这种既具破坏性又复杂的问题,干预项目成本低而且行之有效。