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CDC releases report on 30-year low in youth homicide rates

“The homicide rate for youth aged 10 to 24 years in the United States reached a 30-year low in 2010, according to data published in the Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report (MMWR) released today by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). The 30-year low in 2010 was seen across all age and racial/ethnic groups. The report also shows that the promising decline in youth homicide rates has slowed in recent years, particularly for groups at high risk for violence. CDC investigated youth homicide trends among U.S. youth, ages 10 to 24, by sex, age, race/ethnicity, and mechanism of injury from 1981 to 2010 using data available through CDC’s Web-based Injury Statistics Query and Reporting System (WISQARS). Youth homicide rates varied substantially over this period with a sharp rise from 1985 to 1993 followed by a decline that has slowed since 1999. Even with the slower downward trend in recent years, the youth homicide rate in 2010 was 7.5 per 100,000, the lowest in the 30–year period examined. The findings show declines in youth homicide rates from 2000 to 2010 have been slower for groups at high risk for homicide, including males and non-Hispanic black youth. Recent declines have also been slower for firearm homicides than for homicides by other means. These findings indicate the need for increased use of youth violence prevention strategies, especially approaches that engage high-risk youth.”

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