GUN VIOLENCE PUT YOUTHS ON PATH TO PRISON

Over the course of a year, more children and teens die from gunfire than from cancer, pneumonia, influenza, asthma, and HIV/AIDS combined, according to the Children's Defense Fund.

In 2000, 3,042 youths ages 19 and younger were killed by firearms, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Y-Press went to the Pendleton Juvenile Correctional Facility to talk to four teens about the role guns have played in their lives. Because all were minors at the time of the interviews, their last names are not used.

* Alton, 18, of Indianapolis, was convicted of felony battery.

* William, 17, of Chandler, was convicted of intimidation involving law enforcement and criminal recklessness.

* Rashad, 16, of Fort Wayne, was convicted of felony robbery with a deadly weapon.

* Timothy, 18, of Elkhart, violated parole after being convicted of felony robbery and possession of a controlled substance near a school.

At Pendleton, all inmates' needs are assessed. A treatment program is drawn up, which might include counseling in anger management, substance abuse and other areas.

After that, inmates go through a 90-day transition in which they receive training in such life skills as cooking and balancing a checkbook. The Pendleton facility also has an accredited high school and offers vocational education.

Propensity for violence

A 2001 CDC report lists many factors that put a young person at risk for violent behavior, including a history of involvement in serious crime, poor school performance and alcohol or drug use. Being male is another factor.

These four inmates possess most of these risk factors, including a propensity for aggressive behavior. As William said, "I just had a habit with guns. I had an obsession with them."

Rashad said having a gun "made me a big man."

And all were involved in serious crimes in the past -- some of which they didn't view as serious.

"I've been here for a little bit over a year now, and it ain't a place for nobody really, especially a person like me who really wasn't in a lot of trouble but, you know, was just doing typical teenage things," Alton said.

Before coming to Pendleton, none of the four had shown much interest in school, but all have since worked on academic credits at the prison. Except for Rashad, all had had a drug or alcohol habit, and some had even sold drugs.

"When I was out, I got so much into drugs I didn't want to do my schoolwork," Timothy said.

All four are from low-income, high-crime areas. "Gun violence has had an effect on my life. I've lost many close friends as well as relatives," Alton said.

Indifferent parenting also puts youths at risk. Timothy's father used drugs, and William and Rashad believed they didn't receive enough guidance.

"I never got discipline. That's where I went bad," said Rashad.

Weapons in the home

In a 2000 survey by the CDC, 24 percent of adolescents reported having easy access to guns at home. All of the youths interviewed had guns in their home.

Three had guns of their own.

"Almost everyone I knew had a gun, so I thought, 'I'll just get one, too.' I always had it on me . . . After a while I was like, 'Well, I ain't got caught yet, must not be no big deal.' . . . I finally got caught," said William.

Especially after the Columbine school shootings, many people cited violence in the media and video games as factors in youth violence. But none of the four believed that influenced them.

"People want to do what they choose to do," said William. "They see influences around them every day, but they ain't gotta follow those influences."

All agreed that only they were responsible for their trouble. Rashad said, "I make my own decisions. I'm my own man."

William also doesn't try to blame others for his mistakes: "I'm a minor with a handgun. I shouldn't have had one. . . . If I would've obeyed the law, I wouldn't be here right now."

Learning from mistakes

While they don't blame others, they don't want others to follow in their paths. They have some suggestions for others.

William and Rashad think children need discipline.

"(I would) just basically discipline them the best way I can," said William. "Discipline really ain't something I really got. . . . That's what got me here."

Timothy recommends that families with children get out of his old neighborhood.

"What your environment is is what you're gonna grow into, and that's what you're gonna be, no matter what anybody says."

Another possible solution to gun violence is further restrictions on gun ownership and increasing the enforcement of existing gun laws. The youths were split on whether stricter laws would make any difference.

William and Rashad said it wouldn't. Alton suggested raising the age at which a person can get a gun permit to 21 from 18.

Still, all but William plan to have a gun in their homes for protection.

Timothy, who was paroled Dec. 30, said he'll need a gun after all he's done.

"People are gonna know about me, everything about me. So I'm gonna need some kind of protection," he said.

Timothy said his family has made some changes to ensure that he can shed his past life.

" Now we got a nice house out in the country, kind of away from the city. My dad, he's getting counseling for doing drugs and stuff, and my grandmother lives right next door."

ASSISTANT EDITOR: Emily Christie, 14.

REPORTERS: Julie McDowell, 14; Rebecca Salois, 13.