Violence -- It touches us all.
Violent behavior and its physical, psychological, social and economic costs are a major public health issue. Violence directly or indirectly touches everyone. Violence arises in many different situations, and can happen to persons in any age, socioeconomic, racial or ethnic group. It takes many forms, including family violence (primarily child abuse, intimate partner violence, elder abuse), acquaintance violence (dating violence/date rape, gang violence, disputes among persons who know one another); and stranger violence (between persons who do not know each other).
Suicide and homicide combined account for one out of three injury deaths. There are two suicides for every homicide. In New Mexico, suicides tend to be concentrated in these age groups: adults, age 20-44; and after age 75. Homicide rates peak at ages 15-34 years (Figure 1).
Among youth 15-24 years old, New Mexico’s suicide rate is the third highest in the nation. In New Mexico, school-age youth are more likely to commit suicide during the school year, with the peak of incidents around 4 PM.(1) It is estimated that for each violent death, there are 100 non-fatal, medically treated injuries from violence.(2) A 1997 survey showed that nearly 15% of New Mexico high school youth reported carrying weapons (knives, firearms, etc.) to school in the last month, almost twice the national average.(3) 1997-98 incidents in the schools included the following involving weapons:
- 49 firearm (including 12 assaults)
- 602 knife (including 79 assaults)
- 302 other weapons (including 119 assaults)(4)
Incidents of violence often involve people who have been drinking or using drugs; in New Mexico in 1998, alcohol was found in 47% of suicides and 55% of homicide victims. Firearms were used in 58% of suicides and 57% of homicides.(5)
For women in particular, domestic violence is a major concern. A recent New Mexico study found that over one-third of women homicide victims were killed by a former or current intimate partner.(6) Shelters from domestic violence served 7,218 adults in 1997, and 90% of them were women. In addition, over 3,000 children witnessed the violence that caused these adults to seek shelter.(7) Such children are at greater risk for becoming violent, misusing drugs and alcohol, and for being depressed and suicidal.(8, 9)
In 1999, 23,201 referrals for child abuse and 9,276 referrals for abuse of adults were made to the NM Children, Youth and Families Department.(11) Violence is a learned behavior, influenced by economic, social and family conditions. When children observe or experience violence in their families, they learn that it is an acceptable way to deal with stress, conflict, and anger.(10) Economic pressures on families, both parents working, and the increasing mobility that separates members from the extended family, may contribute to the risk of violence, as well as the risk of other injuries.
The New Mexico Child Fatality Review (CFR) uses multidisciplinary teams to review in detail all violent deaths of persons under age 24. They identify similarities across cases, and strengths and deficiencies of organizations (health care, education, social service, law enforcement, judicial) that the child encountered.(12) This information is used to recommend prevention activities and improvements in service systems.
Enhancing the parenting and coping skills of families with newborns and children can reduce stresses that sometimes lead to child abuse.(13) Family resource and home visiting programs provide services throughout New Mexico. However, there is no coordinated system for making them consistently available to all families.
A firearm in a home increases the risk of suicide five times and that of murder three times. In addition, there are cases of accidental injury or death resulting from children gaining access to a firearm in the home. Nationally, 35% of homes with children have firearms, and in 43% of these at least one was not locked or stored safely.(14) Guidelines on firearm safety have been published by organizations including the American Academy of Pediatrics.(15)
Preventing firearm injuries in children and youth is the focus of the statewide Not Even One project. Its purpose is to document how they happen, educate people on responsible gun ownership, and promote policies to protect children and youth.
Schools and communities have responded to violence with a variety of classes that teach non-violent ways of dealing with anger and conflict. These include nationally recognized programs such as “Second Step” and “Bullyproofing.” Other approaches, particularly with middle and high school age youth, have built on relationships among youth. Mediation in the Schools (a program that trains young people to referee conflicts among their peers) and peer mentoring, strive to change the way people treat each other and resolve differences. All these approaches share the view that if children learn early in life how to handle conflict in non-violent ways, they will be less likely to choose destructive options later on.
At the community level, the New Mexico Crisis Response Network brings trained counselors rapidly to the scene of an emergency such as the Deming School shooting and the Santa Fe school bus crash. In 1999 this program responded to 19 such emergencies.
To prevent youth suicides, some New Mexico communities train citizens to recognize early signs of suicidal behavior. Since 1998, one of these, the Question, Persuade and Refer (QPR) Program, has trained 52 persons to teach these skills at workplaces and elsewhere.
We are making progress in reducing juvenile violent crime, and in improving community response to domestic violence. Ultimately, preventing violence requires actions at the individual, family and community levels -- from all of us.
  
Crisis Center of Northern New Mexico 24 hour Hotline
American Indian/Alaska Native Community Suicide Prevention Center & Network
Boys’ Town National Hotline
Crisis Response of Santa Fe
New Mexico Center for Dispute Resolution, Albuquerque
- (505) 247-0571 or (800) 249-6884
New Mexico Coalition Against Domestic Violence
- (505) 246-9240 or (800) 773-3645
New Mexico Coalition of Sexual Assault Programs
- (505) 883-8020 or (888) 883-8020
New Mexico Domestic Violence Legal Helpline
- (505) 243-2590 or (800) 209-3854
New Mexico Department of Health, Public Health Division:
- New Mexico Crisis Response Network
(505) 476-7701
- Office of Epidemiology (injury statistics)
(505) 827-0006
- Family Health Bureau (violence prevention and statistics)
(505) 827-2320
- Injury Prevention and EMS Bureau (violence prevention programs)
(505) 476-7701
Bullyproof Project
(505) 982-8882
New Mexico Child Fatality Review
(505) 873-7484
Not Even One Firearm Injury Prevention Initiative
(505) 244-9505
Wise Men, Wise Women Mentoring Project
(505) 271-2066
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