Prompted by recent incidents of violence against youth in the city of Providence, Rhode Island Senate leaders created a Youth Violence Task Force to investigate the issue. The task force will conduct a hearing Monday afternoon in an effort to solicit input from area residents. "The good news on paper is that we are down to 255 violent crime referred to the family court in 2011," says State Senator Dawson Hodgson (R-district 35). The bad news? "There are some pretty nasty assaults that are not categorized as violent crimes." A former prosecutor, Senator Hodgson understands the dangers posed by youth violence.  He also recognizes the steps that need to be taken to fix the issue. "We have to get them to bond with a system that has healthy beliefs and clear standards," he told the WPRO Morning News With Tara Granahan and Andrew Gobeil.  "Train them, give them skills to participate whether it's in education or work or social activities and then recognize them for how well they're performing."