[Announce] New Edition - National Index of Violence & Harm

[announce-admin at comm-org.utoledo.edu]

From:	JPBrumbaugh-Smith at manchester.edu 

Please find printed below a news release for the 2000 edition of the 
National Index of Violence and Harm, a project of the Peace 
Studies Institute at Manchester College.  You will find additional 
background information and statistical details at our web site:  


http://www.manchester.edu/Academic/Programs/Departments/Peac
e_Studies/VI/Index.htm

As Neil Wollman (the project coordinator) is out of town until August 
5th,
please feel free to contact me if you have questions regarding the 
Index.
After the 5th you may contact Neil at njwollman at manchester.edu 
or
260-982-5346.

Jim Brumbaugh-Smith
Assoc. Prof. of Mathematics
Manchester College

604 E College Ave., MC Box 111
North Manchester, IN 46962-1276
Phone: 260-982-5011   Fax: 260-982-5311
jbs at manchester.edu


(See attached file: NewsRelease072902.pdf)(See attached file:
NewsRelease072902.doc)



 DROP IN 90S STREET CRIME TOLD ONLY HALF THE STORY 
OF VIOLENCE AND HARM IN
                                 THE U.S.

While Homicides, Batteries, and Robberies Decreased, The Less 
Dramatic and
          Publicized Hungry and Homeless Populations Skyrocketed

NORTH MANCHESTER, Ind. --July 29, 2002-- A trio of Manchester 
College
researchers discovered the country's hungry population nearly 
doubled and
the homeless population increased by an alarming 45 percent from 
1995 to
2000.


For the third consecutive year, researchers Dr. James Brumbaugh-
Smith, Dr.
Neil Wollman, and Dr. Brad Yoder have released the National Index 
of
Violence and Harm, which compares data from 19 different 
variables from
1996 to 2000-- the most recent years of available data--to 1995. 
(For
complete details about the index, visit
www.manchester.edu/academic/programs/departments/peace_studi
es/vi/index.htm
.)

Researcher Neil Wollman said, "After examining trends in the 
hungry and
homeless populations from 1990 onward, we speculate that at least 
some of
the increase is due to welfare law changes in 1996. How much can't 
be
determined by our analysis."


The index is divided into two categories: personal and societal. The
personal scale includes measures traditionally associated with 
violent
acts, such as batteries, sexual assaults and homicides, while the 
societal
scale includes measures such as hunger, air pollution, and infant
mortality. The latter don't involve physical attacks, but result in
individuals being hurt physically or sometimes psychologically. 
"Societal
harm and violence is not as visible or dramatic as personal 
violence, but
it can be just as devastating and typically affects more people," 
Wollman
said.


Not withstanding any personal responsibility that the homeless and 
hungry
must take for their plight, the researchers consider these 
populations to
be two indicators of "social negligence," or the way our nation has
neglected and harmed its citizens. Social negligence, which also 
includes
measures of inadequate health care and education, grew as a whole 
by nearly
30 percent during the time studied.


While government-related indicators (such as capital punishment, 
deaths by
police intervention, and civil rights complaints) had generally been
increasing from 1995 to 1999, this trend abated, at least 
temporarily, in
2000.


However, the news is not all bad. In addition to the well publicized 
drop
in street crime (homicides and robberies down more than 30 
percent each*),
the researchers found other encouraging results, with significant
improvement in several societal areas: infant mortality; child abuse; 
hate
crimes; and poverty disparity between whites and racial minorities, 
as well
as between age groups). And corporate-related indicators also had 
a
significant downward trend, mainly due to drops in occupational
injuries/illnesses and in occupational fatalities.


Interestingly, this good news-bad news result showed up even in 
ways that
people harm themselves. Deaths attributable to smoking increased, 
while
suicides/self injury and fatalities from alcohol went down.


Overall, the researchers' analysis reveals that personal harm and 
violence
have decreased significantly since 1995, while the societal index 
has
remained relatively stable. "It's remained stable because some 
measures
have increased and others have decreased," Wollman said. "It's 
good, of
course, that personal violence has gone down. But our society and 
societal
institutions still tolerate harm to some segments of our population."


Manchester College--an independent, liberal arts college located in 
North
Manchester, Ind., and a college of the Church of the Brethren--
offers more
than 45 areas of study to more than 1,160 students from 23 states 
and 29
countries.


###


Notes to editors:





Dr. Brumbaugh-Smith is an associate professor of mathematics, Dr. 
Wollman
is the senior fellow of the college's Peace Studies Institute and a
psychology professor, and Dr. Yoder is a social work professor.



*(FBI figures recently released for 2001 show an increase in 
homicides for
the first time in many years. This, of course, will be reflected in next
year's index.)
------- End of forwarded message -------