Youth violence begins in many cultures, at many points, and in many different situations. The context that creates violence is suspected to be strongly affected by economy, social values, parenting and education. But, as our nation has discovered, horrific acts of juvenile aggression and extremes of violence can happen in any community. Violence by the young is, more often than not, an attempt to control and react to an environment they have not yet learned to manipulate or accept in a constructive manner. Rather than trying to be patient and understand life, many young people, particularly males, develop a tendency to react aggressively to their feelings of powerlessness and fear. It is the purpose of this paper to examine the causes and effects of youth violence and to look at the social reaction to it, both positive and negative