Educational Attainment of Male Homicide Victims Aged 18 to 24 Years in Chicago: 2006 to 2015

Abstract

Homicide is a preventable public health issue that has detrimental effects on both victims and witnesses and increases health care costs. From 2006 to 2015, homicide has been the second leading cause of death for youth aged 15 to 24 years in the United States. Educational attainment has been widely regarded as a protective factor against justice system involvement and violent injury. We conducted a time-trend analysis examining educational attainment levels for male victims of homicide aged 18 to 24 years in the City of Chicago, 2006 to 2015, to describe the educational attainment of youth homicide victims in Chicago. We used data from the Illinois Violent Death Reporting System and the United States Census Bureau from 2006 to 2015. Cases included male victims of homicide, 18 to 24 years of age, the injury leading to death occurred in the City of Chicago, injury leading to death occurred between 2006 and 2015, and whether or not a high school degree or equivalent had been obtained. Data were described over time using percentages and rates per 100,000 with 95% confidence intervals. Chicago male homicide victims aged 18 to 24 years were less likely to have at least a high school degree than the general population of males aged 18 to 24 years in Chicago. The homicide rate for males aged 18 to 24 years without a high school degree was significantly higher than those with a high school degree or equivalent for every time point, except 2007, and also in four of the seven Chicago Planning Regions when compared with the other three. We found there is a concentrated risk pool for undereducated male youth in Chicago.

Educational achievement and youth homicide mortality: a City-wide, neighborhood-based analysis

“…Previously, Pardini and colleagues examined effects of educational achievement on violence in youth aged 13-18 enrolled in Pittsburgh public schools and found no significant effect after controlling for demographic and socioeconomic variables (Pardini et al, 2012). Similarly, Hazekamp and colleagues examined the impact of high school educational achievement in Chicago on youth homicide rates and found that youth homicide continued to increase locally despite increases in educational achievement (Hazekamp et al, 2018). The authors suggested the contagious nature of violence, spreading through social networks, undermines education's protective effect during this time, highlighting the importance of reducing violence exposure during this vulnerable period (Hazekamp et al, 2018).…”

“…Similarly, Hazekamp and colleagues examined the impact of high school educational achievement in Chicago on youth homicide rates and found that youth homicide continued to increase locally despite increases in educational achievement (Hazekamp et al, 2018). The authors suggested the contagious nature of violence, spreading through social networks, undermines education's protective effect during this time, highlighting the importance of reducing violence exposure during this vulnerable period (Hazekamp et al, 2018). Perhaps consistent with these findings, the present investigation did not find significant direct effects of eighth grade educational achievement in adjusted models.…”

“…Multiple investigations have reported strong associations between both educational engagement and achievement and subsequent violence exposure (Borofsky et al, 2013;Jones-Webb & Wall, 2008;Steffensmeier et al, 2010). Literature suggests high educational achievement facilitates reductions in adult homicide rates both through reduced vulnerability to violence (Hazekamp et al, 2018) and decreased risk of violent behavior (Herrenkohl et al, 2012). However, while many consider educational achievement to be protective against violence and homicide mortality (Totten, 2009), previous studies have demonstrated mixed results.…”

“…However, while many consider educational achievement to be protective against violence and homicide mortality (Totten, 2009), previous studies have demonstrated mixed results. In certain communities, though potentially confounded, increasing prevalence of residents achieving a high-school education or greater has been accompanied by rising rates of youth homicide (Hazekamp et al, 2018). In high-school students, Pardini and colleagues reported that, while high academic achievement was associated with unadjusted reductions in violent behaviour amongst youth aged 15-18, this was not significant after controlling for psychiatric and sociodemographic factors (Pardini et al, 2012).…”

Premature Deaths of Young Black Males in the United States

“…The lack of acknowledgment of these structural factors further masks other determinants of premature death impacting the low life expectancy of young Black males. Their troubling educational underachievement, poverty, unemployment, HIV/AIDS, cardiovascular disease, prediabetes, obesity, and smoking (e.g., cigarettes and marijuana) have been found to be factorial threats to their health and lead to premature deaths (Hazekamp et al, 2018; Jones-Eversley & Ravenell, 2018; Montgomery et al, 2019; Pathak, 2018).…”