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The Coroner's Report

"Everything done in the investigation of death is to benefit the living."
  -Steve Nawojczyk

LITTLE ROCK, ARKANSAS - Murder is the second leading cause of death for 14-17 year olds in our country. When Steve Nawojczyk (Na-VOY-check) became coroner in 1983, there were 38 murders in Little Rock. In 1993, the number had jumped to 111. And the national juvenile homicide rate had increased over 165% in ten years.

As a twenty-year veteran death scene investigator, Nawojczyk has witnessed first-hand the telling effects of youth violence. By developing the trust of many gang members through communication and perseverance, he has become one of the nation's leading authorities on gang culture and psychology. Nawojczyk's work with gangs and juvenile violence has been featured on HBO in the America Undercover series, Gang War: Bangin' in Little Rock. He has made many television and radio appearances and, since his retirement as coroner in December of 1994, has traveled the country educating students, school officials, businesses and communities on the dynamics of gangs and non-traditional solutions to youth violence. When talking about gangs, Nawojczyk states, "There really is no community - black, white or whatever - except the one we all share."

Nawojczyk believes there are "two wasted lives for every body bag - that of the person who was murdered and that of the person who did the killing." "Bullets have no names," he tells the thousands of kids he speaks to across the nation. "When you get jumped into a gang, your whole family gets jumped in." He urges the "good" kids to become involved and be part of the solution and advocates uniforms, peer mediation, conflict resolution programs and parental involvement as essential tools in curbing violence in the schools.

Part of his mission is to make parents acknowledge that no community is immune from this problem, and then urge parent/child interaction. Violence is not just an inner city problem: rural areas experience the same conditions that lead to community problems, including poverty, lack of decent jobs, guns and broken homes, all of which contribute to the spread of crime and gangs.

Steve Nawojczyk's eye-opening lecture series is designed to make communities aware of the dynamics of the gang culture and motivate them to become proactive rather than reactive in developing and implementing programs to manage juvenile violence in their area. He states, "Violence and gang culture cross all social and economic boundaries." He also claims, "Since the 1950's, each generation of Americans has been more violent than the last." His solution is intervention and prevention, and education is the key to prevention. "Adults must quit trying to finger the blame and try some different, non-traditional solutions to the problem."

Information available on this web site:

• Street Gang Dynamics

An overview of the history and identification of street gangs.

• Parent Resource Guide

Warning signs and tips for parents and educators, recommended books to read, must-see  videos, worthy ways to get involved, and available resource material.

• Available Programs  

Descriptions, guidelines, fee information and restrictions for Steve's presentations to students and adults.

• More About Steve

Personal profile and feature news stories.

• Videos and Other Resources

Order information for videos and other training material.

• Comments or Questions?