Whatever happened to the family? England’s new gang strategy

an article by John Pitts, (University of Bedfordshire, Luton, UK) published in Safer Communities Volume 16 Issue 1 (2017)

Abstract

Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to analyse the evolution of HM government’s gang strategy from 2011 to the present. It considers why an initial emphasis upon the “troubled family” as the progenitor of gang violence has given way to more tightly focused modes of intervention in which concerns about gang violence are conflated with other policy concerns.

Design/methodology/approach
The paper draws on a range of policy documents over the relevant period to demonstrate a shift in rhetoric and focus and assesses this trajectory against the evidence base suggested by other relevant literature.

Findings
The argument contained in the paper attributes this shift in focus to a combination of the insights provided by new research, dwindling budgets and the reformulation of the original policy objectives in terms of recent policy priorities.

Social implications
It is suggested that in times of austerity, policy initiatives are reformulated to fit available resources but changes are presented as an improvement on what went before.

Originality/value
The paper uses secondary sources to develop and original analysis and argument.

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Adolescent to parent violence: Framing and mapping a hidden problem

an article by Rachel Condry and Caroline Miles (University of Oxford) published in Criminology and Criminal Justice Volume 14 Number 3 (July 2014)

Abstract

Adolescent to parent violence is virtually absent from policing, youth justice and domestic violence policy, despite being widely recognised by practitioners in those fields. It is under-researched and rarely appears in criminological discussions of family or youth violence.

This article presents the first UK analysis of cases of adolescent to parent violence reported to the police. We analyse victim, offender and incident characteristics from 1,892 cases reported to the Metropolitan Police in 2009–2010, most of which involved violence against the person or criminal damage in the home. Our findings reveal that adolescent to parent violence is a gendered phenomenon: 87 per cent of suspects were male and 77 per cent of victims were female.

We argue that the absence of adolescent to parent violence from criminological discourse must be addressed if criminology is to have a thorough understanding of family violence in all its forms.

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Youth violence at school and the intersection of gender, race, and ethnicity

Anthony A. Pegueroa (Center for Peace Studies and Violence Prevention, Virginia Tech) and Ann Marie Popp (Department of Sociology, Duquesne University, Pittsburgh) published in Journal of Criminal Justice 
Volume 40 Issue 1 (January-February 2012)

Abstract

Purpose
Research has revealed that school-based activities are related to youth violence at school; however, the intersection of gender, race, and ethnicity in this relationship remains uncertain.
Methods
This study utilises data from the Education Longitudinal Study of 2002 and incorporates multilevel modelling techniques to examine the intersectionality of gender, race, and ethnicity in the relationship between school-based activities and youth victimisation at school.
Results
Racial and ethnic minority male involvement in school sports is linked to an increase in school-based victimisation, while White American male involvement in school sports is associated with a decrease in school-based victimisation. On the other hand, school sports appears to be an insulating factor against victimisation for girls regardless of their race or ethnicity.
Conclusions
This research underscores the importance of understanding the intersection of gender, race, and ethnicity when examining youth violence.

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