PROGRESS AND PROBLEMS IN YOUTH VIOLENCE STUDY

WASHINGTON, Jan. 17 (AP) - Youth violence is frequently part of a
life that includes drugs, guns and sex, and the teenagers who are
likely to participate are low-income males who associate with
delinquent peers, the surgeon general said today.

"Know what's going on in your child's social community," Surgeon
General David Satcher said in offering advice to parents.

A study was ordered by Congress and the Clinton administration after
the 1999 shootings at Columbine High School in Colorado.

Among the report's conclusions are that schools are relatively safe
and have fewer homicides and nonfatal injuries compared with homes
and neighborhoods. Dr. Satcher said the report also addressed the
need solve the problem of the easy access that young people have to
guns. The report relies on earlier surveys to conclude that
near-record high numbers of juveniles commit violence. But it found
that arrest rates for robbery and homicide are dropping, based on
research from sources including the Justice Department.

The report said the drop in arrests followed a decline in the number
of firearms available to teenagers.