The PUBM 541 Policy Analysis course focuses on how to analyze public policy issues. Students in the course focused on high-profile shootings, such as the school shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary.

MPA student, Julie Cantrell, takes a creative approach by making a convincing argument that the key to solving violent crimes is actually student engagement.

Preventing Violence through Youth Engagement: A Positive Developmental Policy Approach
By Julie Cantrell

Introduction

A recent series of high-profile shootings, including the death of 26 children and adults at Sandy Hook Elementary School, have built momentum for legislative change and focused national attention on school safety. However, violence in schools is not a new problem, and too often society reacts to tragedy with fragmented and disjointed responses. As a result, policy solutions tend to be problem-oriented with an emphasis on quick outcomes.

By focusing public policy decisions on the violent crimes committed, policy makers ignore a critical component of the solution to violence. A growing body of empirical evidence demonstrates that youth engagement is a viable and effective public response to reducing violent behavior. Young people that experience a positive pathway from youth to adulthood are less likely to resort to violence, both as an adolescent and later in life as an adult. The purpose of this policy analysis is to explore the integration of youth engagement into current policy solutions to create a comprehensive and long-term approach to reducing violence.

Click here to read Julie Cantrell's Policy Analysis paper.