Researchers look at the reasons behind youth violence

Brian Keller—the 29-year-old, better known to the Swiss public as "Carlos"—has become an infamous figure in Switzerland. Having been convicted of multiple violent crimes, he is constantly in the headlines.

Cases like these give the impression that youth violence is surging. But what do the numbers actually say? To really understand what's going on, we can get information from various sources: the reported cases, official police crime statistics, and unreported cases—in other words, information from young people themselves. The latter are usually higher than the official statistics, as many incidents go unreported.

While youth violence fell from the mid-2000s to the mid-2010s, the figures have since risen again. "It's true that we saw an increase between 2014 and 2021. Almost one young person in four said they had been the victim of a violent offense," says Denis Ribeaud from the Jacobs Center for Productive Youth Development at UZH.

The criminologist has headed up the Zurich Youth Survey (ZYS) since 2006, which conducts extensive representative samples to shed light on the long-term trends in unreported youth violence.

Tolerance toward violence is dropping

The most recent survey revealed a significant increase in the number of victims of sexual violence and instrumental aggression (offenses such as robbery and blackmail involving the use of violence). Violence on social media is also on the rise, including cyberbullying and online sexual harassment.

According to the study, there is a great deal of overlap between perpetrator and victim roles. "Victims become perpetrators and vice versa," says Ribeaud. But society often fails to recognize this, due to pervasive stereotypes that place victims and perpetrators in completely separate boxes.

Professor of criminology Dirk Baier is seeing a change in society's tolerance towards aggressive behavior. "These days, society is less willing to accept violence, and that's a good thing," says Baier. There has been extensive media coverage of violence committed by young people. "But we need to put things into perspective: over 90% of young people aren't violent. I'm not trying to trivialize that, though. Any attack is one too many." Violence can leave lifelong scars on those affected, with effects such as post-traumatic stress disorder.

But what makes young people become violent in the first place? For the latest ZYS study, Ribeaud identified the key risk factors. On the one hand, he points to factors that directly impact the use of violence. They include personality traits and attitudes such as a lack of self-control, standards of toxic masculinity, and a lack of conflict resolution skills. On the other, there are factors that have an indirect impact, such as the family background: conflicts between parents, family disputes, and parental violence towards children.

Biology also plays a part: "The prefrontal cortex is not yet fully developed in adolescents and young people. This means they are not yet able to control their impulses to the same extent as adults," says Dorothea Stiefel. Stiefel is a psychiatrist and co-heads the Center for Child and Adolescent Psychiatry at the University Hospital of Psychiatry Zurich.

Every year, her team writes about 50 psychological assessments for the Zurich Office of Juvenile Prosecutions and treats young offenders. Stiefel says that many of the young people she treats experienced emotional and physical abuse during childhood. Many also have a mental disorder which is an additional risk factor, such as ADHD, antisocial personality disorder, autism or—much more rarely—schizophrenia.

Situations with a high conflict potential can be disastrous, such as chaotic public gatherings, encounters with rival groups, or if people are under the influence of alcohol or drugs. According to the ZYS study, however, young people nowadays go out a lot less than they used to. Substance use has decreased, too. Instead, they are spending more time online, where incidents of violence can also take place, such as cyberbullying.

Tougher penalties largely ineffective

Non-Swiss young people are overrepresented as perpetrators of violence in crime statistics. "The question of nationality is always asked in this context," says Baier. "But if we dig deeper, we see other correlations, such as socioeconomic disadvantage or low educational attainment in the young people of non-Swiss origin. If we want to put in place suitable measures, we need to start here."

What protects young people from becoming violent? According to Ribeaud, social skills, such as empathy and conflict resolution skills, are crucial for a life free from violence. Support from adult caregivers is crucial in the development of these skills. This may be parents, or sometimes teachers.

Harsher penalties do little to combat youth violence, however. "On that point, researchers are basically in agreement," says Baier. "In young people in particular, they don't act as a deterrent. When young people commit an offense, they're not thinking about whether they might get three or five years behind bars." He explains that the reason laws are occasionally tightened is because there is little that policymakers can do, apart from introducing harsher punishments or spending money on prevention efforts, and spending money is usually unpopular.

Baier believes that prevention is the way forward. "You can never start early enough, and it's never too late," he says. Children should be taught social skills as early as possible. They need to learn to put themselves in other people's shoes and to recognize how their behavior affects others. "We can teach children how to resolve conflict without aggression. The older people get, the harder it is, but it's still possible," says Baier.

In young adults, support is needed from multiple sides, and people need to be given future prospects, such as training opportunities. "Many young people find their own way out of problematic situations when their life situation changes and they realize that violence isn't the answer," says Baier. "But others may have to be involuntarily committed."

Ribeaud stresses that prevention should be a long-term endeavor: "Throughout their entire schooling, children and young people need to be taught the same skills and values. While an isolated intervention may make a difference in the short term, the effects will fizzle out again over time." Ribeaud explains that it is also important to make sure young people have solid media literacy skills.

If prevention efforts fail and young people become violent, in very serious cases juvenile forensic teams will be involved. In their psychological assessments, Stiefel and her team analyze offenses to understand the mechanisms at play. The young people are asked to do the same. "An offense is often a distress signal and a cry for help," says Stiefel.

One of her goals is to help violent young offenders understand why they committed the crime. They have to recognize and understand the risk factors, what they need to avoid in future, and what alternative coping strategies they should use. "This might mean a young person saying that in the summer they'll avoid the hot spots in certain parts of town, where there is a high risk of coming across people who are looking for a fight," the psychiatrist explains. "But young people also need to get to know their strengths so that they can cultivate them in a targeted way."

The juvenile forensic team works with convicted youths to build a future. "They need to have an alternative. If they previously had respect in their delinquent peer group, they need to find another form of recognition by cultivating their strengths, perhaps in a sports club," says Stiefel.

An appropriate school or college, an apprenticeship, daily routine and structure: all of this helps build self-worth to find a way out of violence. Young people's families are also involved, even if they too are struggling. "Nevertheless, family is family, and the young person has to get along with them—which can sometimes mean a temporary separation," says Stiefel.

Getting back on track is a journey involving hard work for violent young people. "Obviously, many are resistant to the coercive measures of therapy and institutional care," says Stiefel. "I always try to explain to them that this is also an opportunity to learn a trade in a safe space and to put violence behind them."

When violent incidents occur, society tends to look for quick fixes and clear culprits. But it's not that simple. "There's no silver bullet," says Baier, stressing that many young people go through life without resorting to violence.

Provided by University of Zurich