Contact Maureen Shine (541) 346-3145 No doubt the signs were evident that the two boys who killed five people at an Arkansas middle school yesterday were potentially violent, according to a University of Oregon researcher who studies youth violence. Jeff Sprague, co-director of the UO Institute on Violence and Destructive Behavior, says there are a number of behavioral factors that predict violent behavior... "And in kids who act out violently, these behaviors are pretty well established by the time they're 8 or 9 years old," says Sprague. "It's hard but not impossible to save a child at this age, which reinforces the need for adults and schools to identify anti-social behavior at a very early age, as early as pre-school." Sprague recommends that schools screen kids for certain kinds of behavior patterns, such as academic failure, problems with peer relationships, defiance of adults, early aggression on the playground and drug and alcohol abuse. "It adds yet another job for school administrators and teachers, but if we wait too long to help these kids, the ones with serious behavioral problems invariably end up lost to the criminal justice system." Sprague says the lack of positive role models in the home is a major factor in youth behavioral problems. "In this very tragic Arkansas case, you have to wonder where were the parents? Where did the kids get those weapons?" asks Sprague. "Their's was a sophisticated plot, such as one you might see on television. Only these kids clearly weren't mature enough to have thought through the devastating consequences of their actions, for their victims and for themselves." In addition to behavior, Sprague says the UO institute on violence is also studying crime prevention through environmental design. He says one simple idea is to not have alot of bushes and trees in close proximity to schools which, as in the Arkansas case, provide hiding places. SOURCE: Jeff Sprague, co-director, UO Institute on Violence and Destructive Behavior, (541) 346-3592, <jeff_sprague@ccmail.uoregon.edu> -30- #T-4075/Day, NB,NN,NW