|
April 2004
OVERALL REPORT
Age Group: 9-12, 13-15, 16-17 and 18+
| Gender: |
Male 190 |
Female 180 |
No
response 2 |
What
grade are you in? (Circle
your answer)
| 7th |
64 |
| 8th |
56 |
| 9th |
63 |
| 10th |
58 |
| 11th |
52 |
| 12th |
45 |
| NR |
40 |
What town do you live in?
Talihina
Tuskahoma
Whitesboro
Albion
Clayton
Muse
Big Cedar
Bengal
Nashoba
Heavener
Honobia
Leflore
|
142
37
13
18
40
10
10
3
7
4
1
8
|
Howe
Buffalo Valley
Haileyville
Daisy
Fanshaw
Summerfield
Reichart
Wister
Kiamichi
Houston
No Response
|
1
3
1
1
2
6
1
2
1
1
54
|
Who do you live with? Check all that apply.
Mother
Father
Stepmother
Stepfather
Grandparent
Aunt/Uncle
Older Sibling
Foster Care
Other |
291
197
21
61
38
18
43
6
Cousin, Nephews, Nieces, Older sibling in college, Girlfriend, Boyfriend,
Guardian |
Race:
Native American
White
African American
Asian American
Mexican American
Puerto Rican
No Response |
92
220
16
2
8
0
9
|
If Native American please list tribe:
Choctaw
Cherokee
Creek
Cheyenne Arapaho
Seminole
Ponca
Sioux
Pueblo
Chickasaw
Athabascan
Potowatomie
Otoe-Missouri
NR |
93
54
1
1
2
2
2
2
1
1
1
1
18
|
1. Does your community offer any fun activities for youth?
| Yes - 200 (54%) |
No - 166 (45%) |
No response -
6 (2%) |
If
no, what would
you like to have
them offer?
-
A soccer team in town
-
Arcade
-
Non school related sports
-
Youth dance club
-
Bowling
-
Clothing stores
-
Skating rink
-
Basketball court
with lights
-
Youth basketball tournaments
-
Swimming pool
-
Recreational
center
-
Summer programs
-
Movie theatre
-
Skate park
-
Rodeo
-
Drama and speech
programs
-
Painting and
drawing classes |
- Martial arts
- Volleyball
- Weight lifting
- Football
- Youth camps
- More parks
- Monthly lock ins
- More athletic courts
- Shopping mall
- Restaurants
- Paint ball
- Dance Clubs
- Concerts
- Go carts
- Pool Hall
- Sport fun day
- Youth Center |
2. Do you or would you participate in cultural activities such as Pow Wows, Sweats, etc.?
| Yes - 165 (52%) |
No - 194 (44%) |
No response - 13 (2%) |
What other
cultural activities would you like to have offered?
-
Horse back riding trails
-
4-H
-
Culture or Heritage Day
-
Rodeos
-
Celtic, Wiccan and Pagan festivals
-
Foreign cultures
-
Indian storytelling
-
Prayer meetings (NAC) |
- A Cinco De Mayo celebration
- African events
- Parties
- Latin activities
- Anything about other cultures
- Mardi Gras
- Combing of the hair ceremony |
3. Do you know of any youth in your community guilty of committing crimes (destroying property,
hurting people or animals, etc.?)
| Yes - 264 (71%) |
No - 99 (27%) |
No response - 9 (2%) |
If yes, about how many do you think have committed crimes?
Less than 10 kids: 155 10
to 30 kids: 85 40
or more kids: 27
4. What do you feel are the top 4 reasons for youth crime/delinquency? (Pick 4 from the following
list, then rank them 1-4, with one being most important and 4 least important)
235 -
Peer Pressure
228 - Lack of Parental Guidance/Supervision
152 - Alcohol/Drug Use
139 - Abuse (Emotional, Sexual, Physical)
119 -
Lack of Money
107 -
Stress
66 - Lack of Activities (Boredom)
60 - Media
(TV, Radio, Video Games)
24 - Status/Respect
23 -
Lack of Culture
4 - Other,
please list:
please list: too many mouthy people and stupid people, boredom5. Do you feel discriminated against? For example do you feel you're treated unfairly because
of your race, gender, etc.?
| Yes - 58 (16%) |
No - 293 (79%) |
No response
- 22 (6%) |
If
yes, what type of discrimination?
Racial: 30
Gender: 16
Others: foster care, weight/size, speech impediment, braces
If yes, by whom?
Teachers
Classmates
Family Members
Others
|
19
32
10
people on the street, Choctaw Indians, the school system, weight,
after choosing not to drink alcohol and have sex
|
6. Have you ever been involved in any of the following? Check all that apply.
161 - Drinking Alcohol
22 - A Gang
73 - Stealing from an individual
6 - Carrying a gun to school
93 - Using Drugs
162 - A Physical Fight
46 - Stealing from a business
96 - Carrying a knife to school
153 - Smoking Cigarettes
77 - Vandalism
130 -
Skipping school
48 - Running away from home
95 - Bullying
6 - Prostitution
73 - Setting things on fire
78 - Suspension from school
2 - Other:
getting beat up, arrested, stealing from school and verbal abuse
7. Have you or your friends ever been arrested for a crime?
| YOU: |
Yes - 98 (26%) |
No - 257 (69%) |
No response
- 17 (5%) |
| FRIENDS: |
Yes - 150 (40%) |
No - 204 (55%) |
No response - 18 (5%) |
If yes, what was the crime?
- Breaking into school
- Breaking and entering
- Fighting
- Shooting up the school
- Underage drinking
- Stealing
- Drugs and alcohol
- DUI
- Possession of narcotics
- Vandalism
- Assault
- Driving w/out a license
- Selling drugs
|
- Arson
- Warrants
- Hot checks
- Out after curfew
- Grand theft auto
- Breaking into a store
- Fighting in school
- Truancy
- Disturbing the peace
- Assault on an officer
- Resisting arrest
- Public intoxication
- Shoplifting |
What was the outcome/punishment?
- A warning and communitee service
- Jail time
- Community service
- Rehab
- Counseling
- Probation and counseling
- Fine
- Suspended license
- School suspension
- Boot camp
- Juvenile hall
- Restitution
- Banned from a store
Are you satisfied with the outcome/punishment?
| Yes - 118 (32%) |
No - 70 (19%) |
No response - 202 (54%) |
Have you ever committed a crime but didn't
get caught?
| Yes - 123 (33%) |
No - 136 (37%) |
No response - 113 (30%) |
8. Do you feel that youth who commit crimes are punished properly for the crimes that they
have committed?
| Yes - 181 (49%) |
No - 163 (44%) |
No response
- 28 (8%) |
Please explain your answer:
| No: |
- You should be nicer to the offender |
| |
- Youth should be handled more patiently |
| |
- Kids will do it again anyway |
| |
- Want them out of the way |
| |
- Should do "scared straight" |
| |
- Punishment is too harsh because they are treated like adults |
| |
- No punishment is too weak |
| |
- Teen should never be tried as adults |
| |
- Some don't get the same judgment as others |
| |
- More community service |
| |
- Children should not be tried as adults |
| |
|
| Yes: |
- They need to learn their roles |
| |
- They are misguided |
| |
- The punishment isn't that bad |
| |
- Government is fair |
| |
- If they did the crime they deserve the punishment |
| |
- They don't repeat it |
| |
- Community service is really hard |
| |
- Detention center |
| |
- Most people get what they deserve |
| |
- I leaned my lesson |
| |
- If caught they are punished |
| |
- Kids need a good spanking |
| |
- The current system is working |
How would you change the punishment so that kids learn from the experience?
| - Youth should have to do a lot of work |
| - A lot of community service |
| - Put them in a real jail |
| - Make the kids that get into trouble pick up trash |
| - First offence shouldn't go on your record |
| - Kids need a second chance |
| - Much harsher punishment |
| - Community service give back to the community |
| - Take them to prison and let them see prisoners who have committed crimes |
| - More severe |
| - Make so they spend more jail time and no bonding out |
| - Send them to boot camp |
| - Make punishment same as adults |
| - Teens should never be tried as adults, kids need counseling first |
| - Make first time drug abusers go to classes and etc. instead of jail time |
| - Take them to jail and call their parents |
9. If you or your friends wanted to get drugs, would it be easy to get them?
| YOU: |
Yes - 210 (56%) |
No - 150 (40%) |
No response - 12 (3%) |
| FRIENDS: |
Yes - 247 (66%) |
No - 113 (30%) |
No response - 12 (3%) |
10. Do you believe most youth have easy access to a gun?
| Yes - 200 (54%) |
No - 161 (43%) |
No response - 11 (3%) |
11. What kind of help or services should the Choctaw Nation offer that would help stop youth from
committing crimes?
- Sports and activities just for kids
- Free friends program
- Put in youth centers in stead of casinos
- Community involvement, camps
- More drug awareness
- Build a theatre
- Tutoring
- Recreational activities that are accessible
- Things for people other than Indians
- After school activities
- Big brother & Big Sisters
- Youth retreat
- More job opportunities
|
- A safe place where kids can just hang out and have fun
- Counseling weekend programs
- Parenting classes
- Teen dance club
- Shelter for homeless young adults
- Someone to listen to what teens have to say
- Build a skating rink or bowling alley
- Mentoring in a fun way
- Improve boys and girls club
- Arcade
- Theatre and dance
- Job opportunities
- More activities for older kids |
12. If your community had a Big Brother/Big Sister program, would you be willing to participate?
| Yes - 232 (62%) |
No - 120 (32%) |
No response - 20 (5%) |
Recommendations:
It is recommended that the staff and committees of the CRIMES project review the responses
from all age groups as well as the overall summary report. The youth were very clear in the
expression of their thoughts about needed activities and efforts that would benefit the youth of the
Choctaw Nation. These bits of information can assist in promoting proactive activities that could
lead to prevention of delinquency and perhaps even other social concerns the youth face.
The easy accessibility of drugs and guns is very apparent and should be one of the priority areas
of the project. It would be helpful if the CRIMES project shared this data/information with other tribal
programs and the schools to gain additional support and assistance
Back To Youth Surveys
 |