Mediation and Gangs: a Study of Violence
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Mediation and Gangs: A Study of Violence Reduction in the Metropolitan Police Area in London Eric J. Phelps University of Portsmouth: Institute of Criminal Justice Studies September 2015 Submitted to the University of Portsmouth in Partial Fulfilment of the Professional Doctorate Degree in Criminal Justice Declaration Whilst registered as a candidate for the above degree, I have not been registered for any other research award. The results and conclusions embodied in this thesis are the work of the named candidate and have not been submitted for any other academic award Word Count – 50,966 (excluding appendices, acknowledgements, list tables). Signed............................................................Date............27 September 2015 1 Abstract Gang violence in London is an increasing problem that has gained momentum in the last two decades. Finding workable solutions to reduce gang violence or interventions in the current economic climate is a constant challenge for practitioners. This study examines the use of mediation as a tactic for reducing gang violence. Through data analysis, outcomes of this intervention are explored. The initial research conducted shows that there is a significant correlation between reductions in violent reoffending between those referred for mediation and those not referred. Further analysis of 17 semi-structured interviews conducted in the UK suggests that individuals do not have to engage in the mediation process for it to have an effect. Very often, the fact that an individual has been referred will be sufficient to deter continued violent offending. This research suggests that the implications for practice requires a unified co-ordinated response to violence that includes the proactive provision of joined up activity from the authorities, such as education, housing, health, social services and employment agencies. Their services need to be adequately funded, properly resourced and intelligently delivered in order to provide the necessary support required to end the cycle of gang related violence and offending generally. 2 Contents ABSTRACT ............................................................................................. 2 ACKNOWLEDGMENTS ................................................................................. 6 CHAPTER 1 INTRODUCTION .................................................................. 8 Preview ........................................................................................... 11 CHAPTER 2 RESEARCH CONTEXT ...................................................... 14 Positioning myself in the research ............................................................ 14 Introducing Gangs ...................................................................................... 25 Defining the meaning of “gangs” for this study ....................................... 27 Why do young people join gangs? ............................................................ 39 Gangs in London ........................................................................................ 48 Gang Violence in London ........................................................................... 53 Determining gang membership for the purposes of mediation .............. 59 CHAPTER 3 INTERVENTION AND VIOLENCE REDUCTION ............... 62 Introduction ........................................................................................... 62 Intervention programmes and outcomes .................................................. 63 Mediation as an intervention to reduce gang violence. ........................... 76 Mediation in London ................................................................................... 77 CHAPTER 4 METHODOLOGY ............................................................... 96 Details of the Research Design ................................................................. 96 Sampling Strategy ...................................................................................... 98 The Qualitative Analysis ............................................................................ 98 The Interviews ......................................................................................... 102 Data transcript and analysis .................................................................... 105 Quantitative Research .............................................................................. 111 Data collection and analysis .................................................................... 116 The evaluation cohort (All those referred) .............................................. 116 The Control Cohort (The Comparative Group) ....................................... 117 Mediation Referral Outcomes: Comparing reoffending between the evaluation and control cohorts. ............................................................... 119 Gang mediation analysis.......................................................................... 119 Limitations of the matrix .......................................................................... 121 Ethical Issues ......................................................................................... 122 Anonymity ......................................................................................... 123 Informed consent...................................................................................... 124 Territoriality and neutral locations for fieldwork .................................... 124 3 Limitations of the research ...................................................................... 113 CHAPTER 5 IS MEDIATION EFFECTIVE? ........................................... 127 Findings and analysis from quantitative data ........................................ 127 Reoffending Analysis ............................................................................... 132 General Reoffending ................................................................................ 137 Violence ......................................................................................... 137 Serious Violence ....................................................................................... 138 Minor Violence ......................................................................................... 139 Weapon Related Offences ........................................................................ 140 Sexual Offending ...................................................................................... 141 Acquisitive offending ............................................................................... 142 Drugs ......................................................................................... 143 Engaged with mediation........................................................................... 144 Logistic Regression Analysis .................................................................. 145 CHAPTER 6 WHAT ARE THE FACTORS THAT CONTRIBUTE TO EFFECTIVE MEDIATION? ......................................................................... 148 Findings and analysis of the qualitative data. ........................................ 148 Understanding the meaning of “mediation” in the context of gang violence ......................................................................................... 150 Themes ......................................................................................... 152 1.Engagement in the process .................................................................. 152 Exiting the gang ........................................................................................ 159 Prior knowledge of the incident ............................................................... 162 The initial meeting .................................................................................... 164 2. Limitations of Mediation ....................................................................... 167 3. Additional support that could enhance the mediation process ........ 171 Transformational services that complement mediation ........................ 173 Other mediation options available .......................................................... 177 4. Outcomes of mediation ........................................................................ 178 CHAPTER 7 DISCUSSION ................................................................... 187 Establishment of mediation and engagement. ....................................... 187 Violence desistance and opportunities to exit ....................................... 189 Benefits and limitations ........................................................................... 190 Successful outcomes ............................................................................... 192 CHAPTER 8 CONCLUSION.................................................................. 195 Sustainability ......................................................................................... 211 Why the research is important for researchers and practitioners? ...... 216 4 What are the practice implications for the research? ............................ 217 Implications for practitioners .................................................................. 226 Post Script Reflection on the process .............................................. 231 References ......................................................................................... 239 APPENDICES...............................................................................................257 Appendix A: Timeline of Research…………………………………………257