Palgrave Studies in Risk, Crime and Society

This book offers rich ethnographic and narrative accounts of men who have been engaged in serious violence and organised crime in the West Midlands of England, using several theoretical paradigms.  Through case study examples, it also considers contract killers and the nefarious position that ‘hitmen’ occupy in the criminal underworld.  By charting insider perspectives from retired law enforcement agents, informants, ex-military personnel and ex-offenders, this book speaks to those who have a vested interest in violence, organised crime and ethnography.

This book provides an up-to-date analysis of major issues in the field of sexual abuse, both established and emerging, and asks how we can develop the most evidence-based, fit-for-purpose approach in responding to and preventing it. Sexual abuse is a multi-disciplinary, international issue that exists at the crossroads of theory, practice, and research. Therefore, the book is future-facing and asks the reader to critically reflect upon current and future research and practice, and to ask: what next? In doing this the book examines the theory, research, and practice on a range of topics including, grooming behaviors, risk management, risk assessment, sexual fantasies, professional engagement, and policy development. These, and other essential topics for effective and efficient care for people who have committed sexual offenses, are addressed as part of the ultimate goal to reduce and even eliminate sexual victimizationin the future.

The County Lines phenomenon has become one of the most significant drug market developments in the UK over recent years. This book analyses how it is being responded to by the police in affected provincial areas. Drawing on unique ethnographic fieldwork, it takes readers into police stations and out onto the streets with officers, providing timely insight into the policing of this high profile and challenging drug market context. The book considers the use of new police tactics that have been proposed and familiar methods that officers regularly embarked on. Through a sophisticated theoretical framework it argues that the policing of County Lines can often be considered ‘symbolic’, with concerns regularly placed on sending out strong messages that appear superficial when closely examined. Alongside this, however, there appears to be a progressive shift towards a more pragmatic drugs policing approach that embraces harm reduction principles. This cutting-edge research speaks to academics in Criminology and Policing, and to practitioners and policy makers.

This book examines mass shootings and attempted shootings that occurred across 16 countries in Central and Eastern Europe, known as post-communist states. This region of the world has been described by social scientists as possessing specific social, cultural, and political characteristics which may mean that mass shootings in this part of the world are driven by distinct causal factors in comparison to those in North America and elsewhere. This book explores trends and patterns that underpin cases in this under-explored region and tests whether Cumulative Strain Theory can account for mass shooting occurrences. It uses in-depth qualitative analysis to examine select case studies in one chapter, followed by a chapter which uses quantitative methods to identify trends across a wider set of cases and to test the theoretically-driven hypotheses. This data is then compared with data in the US. This book draws on a wide range of media, forensic and court reports and provides methodological insights and discussions of future trends including the potential incidental increase of mass shootings in these regions. It also engages in recent public policy debates pertaining to firearm ownership and regulation. 

This book provides in-depth coverage of guns, gun violence and gun homicides from a variety of perspectives, including, but not limited to, gender, suicide, peaceology and police (in)action. Reflecting changes in contemporary perceptions as well as desires for scholarship emanating from under-researched areas of the globe, this book addresses the pervasive issue of guns, gun violence and gun homicides. Authored by a wide range of Social Science experts, and premised on the notions of epistemological diversity, inclusivity and knowledge production in the Global South, this book provides comprehensive coverage on the nebulous concern of guns and their destructive force using differing approaches to the same problem, with a focus on prevention/reduction of gun violence. Readers may find the chapters contained in this book to be fascinating, provocative, informative, clearly presented and solution oriented. This book is of special interest to students, criminologists, policymakers, criminal justice system officials and laypersons. It is invaluable to policymakers at differing levels of government who provide advice on the social issue of guns and gun violence in their respective jurisdictions.

The book provides a thorough investigation and overview of the decision making process that individuals may (or may not) go through when proceeding to commit a crime. Drawing on interviews with real offenders and conducted in a novel way, this book includes quotes throughout which make their decision making and emotional processes relatable to the reader. It examines a range of offences from petty theft to murder and includes both male and female offenders. Based on various iterations of the rational choice theories of crime, this book examines the relevance of these theories in real offending situations and the influence of emotion and context on these decisions. Finally, it explores how understanding the decision making process of committing offences can inform criminal justice practice. 

This short book provides a European-wide survey of mental health and probation. Drawing on a significant study, it explores the knowledge and attitudes to mental illness based on a sample of probation staff from 27 countries. It sets out the significance of mental health for probation staff and includes examples of good working practice, a pragmatic review of the literature and recommendations for further actions agreed by the Council of Europe. It seeks to improve the knowledge of probation staff about mental illness and outlines a future agenda for practice, service organisation and research.

This book presents an in-depth investigation into street gang involvement, desistance, and non-involvement through the lens of the Risk Factor Prevention Paradigm (RFPP). This framework encompasses five domains of risk and prevention: family, neighbourhood, peers, individual, and school. It identifies the risk and protective factors that influence young people to either engage in, desist or abstain from involvement in deviant street groups.

Based on a comprehensive five-and-a-half-year study, the author draws upon his lifelong experience living in Stockbridge Village, Merseyside, one of the most deprived areas in the UK marked by street gang activity and organised crime. The author’s unique position allows him to establish a strong rapport with young, disenfranchised individuals involved in street gangs.

This book offers a comprehensive exploration of critical observations related to street gang involvement by integrating insights that provide a nuanced understanding of the sociocultural factors that both drive individuals toward gang involvement and contribute to their desistance from it.  The author highlights key topics including the practice of drug dealing as deviant entrepreneurship, the role of friendship networks in determining engagement in street gang-related activities, the allure of risk as a motivator for involvement and the participation of young women through relationships with young men associated with street gangs. Ultimately, the work offers fresh perspectives on both gang membership and non-membership, advocating for the development of homegrown interventions rooted in social capital through bridging and social mobility as viable strategies for addressing street gang involvement.

This edited collection draws together and contextualises research on the Epidemiological Criminology (EpiCrim) approaches to sexual abuse carried out by the University of West England (UWE), Bristol. EpiCrim sees crime and offending behaviour, including sexual abuse, as a public health issue and advocates that to prevent first time or repeat offending behaviour we have to work in a bespoke way across a number of populations (individual, interpersonal, community, and societal). The book introduces the area of EpiCrim and how it works to address sexual abuse, before examining the UWE based research on the prevention, treatment and community integration of people impacted by sexual abuse. The book discusses policy, practice, theory and research in this area with the authors reviewing, critiquing, synthesising as well as building upon previous/current research, theory and policy.