UNLV institute director resigns after flawed study

Monday, Feb. 21, 2000 | 8:54 a.m.

The director of UNLV's Nevada Institute for Children has resigned following a flap over a flawed study on Nevada's rate of youth violence.

Vince Juaristi left the University of Nevada, Las Vegas last week and was en route to a new job in Washington, D.C.

Stephen Rice, associate provost for research, said Juaristi was hired by the private sector but did not identify his new employer.

Juaristi drew criticism after the institute's release last October of the flawed study, "Youth Violence: A Look at Guns, Schools & Programs."

UNLV no longer distributes the study and will establish an academic oversight committee to ensure the validity of future research.

The study found that Nevada's rate of youths killed by firearms was fifth highest in the nation at 21.3 per 100,000.

But a Las Vegas newspaper later learned and reported that the actual death rate was less than a quarter of that, 4.83 per 100,000.

The newspaper also learned that Nevada ranked 10th worst in firearm-related youth deaths and other statistics in the study were incorrect.

Questioned by Rice, Juarista admitted the newspaper's calculations were correct and blamed the flawed study partly on invalid math.

Some of the errors in the report also occured because Juarista delegated research to students, then failed to check their work before publishing it, Rice said.

University of Nevada regents created the institute in 1998 at the urging of Sandy Miller, wife of then-Gov. Bob Miller.

Juaristi, Miller's executive assistant, was hired as its first director. UNLV is now advertising for a new director.

The institute, charged with researching children's issues, conducted studies on substance abuse treatment and child care before releasing the flawed study.