Professor Jeffrey A. Butts, a research fellow at the Chapin Hall Center for Children at the University of Chicago, was not surprised when he learned the suspects in the case are teenagers. “A common feature of adolescent violence is a complete lack of empathy for the victim,” Butts said. Butts said one of the methods used in attempting to help children at risk for violent behavior is to teach them that their victims do have feelings, they are not just objects. “Some children do respond to intervention,” he said. “But other children never learn empathy.” Continue reading News Journal – Homeless Violence Common

“There is reason to believe that the decline has bottomed out, and [rates] are starting to increase,” said Jeffrey Butts, director of the Program on Youth Justice at The Urban Institute. Continue reading Myrtle Beach Sun News – Educators, Police Implore Students to Shun Violence