Topic: Youth Violence

A look back at the 1990s "super predator" scare illustrates how social scientists and criminologists can misinterpret data to create damaging public alarms. The segment suggests that the same "ivory tower" academics who got the youth violence wave wrong are now crafting the propaganda found in modern museums. This serves as a cautionary tale about trusting academic narratives that claim to be based on objective data.

The story of 11-year-old Robert "Yummy" Sandifer is detailed as a catalyst for the 1990s panic over juvenile violent crime in Chicago. Sandifer, a member of the Black Disciples, was murdered by his own gang after killing a teenage girl, leading to comparisons with child soldiers in war zones.