Introduction

Youth violence: De-escalation strategies and socio-legal responses

Authors

  • Asher Flynn Criminology, School of Social Sciences, Monash University
  • Murray Lee University of Sydney
  • Mark Halsey Centre for Crime Policy & Research, College of Business, Government & Law, Flinders University

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.35295/osls.iisl/0000-0000-0000-1211

Keywords:

young people, de-escalation, youth violence, desistence

Abstract

Despite media suggestions that youth violence is the result of an epidemic of young thugs “out of control”, this paper argues that youth violence is emblematic of complex political, economic and socio-cultural conditions. This introductory paper discusses some of the key themes and articles from our special issue on Youth Violence: De-Escalation Strategies and Socio-Legal Responses, which is the result of a workshop held at the Oñati International Institute for the Sociology of Law in July 2019. It seeks to reflect the rich tapestry of factors, contexts and processes that can place young people at risk of offending, or, perhaps even more importantly, at risk of criminalisation, as presented in the special issue collection. We reflect on the range of perspectives presented across the special issue on youth violence and the de-escalation of such violence, which seek to advance knowledge, and identify strategies for regulating and preventing this behaviour.

Downloads

Download data is not yet available.

        Metrics

Views 606
Downloads:
PDF 365
XML 31


Author Biographies

Asher Flynn, Criminology, School of Social Sciences, Monash University

Asher Flynn, Criminology, School of Social Sciences, Monash University. Email address: asher.flynn@monash.edu

Murray Lee, University of Sydney

Murray Lee, University of Sydney, Sydney Law School. Email address: murray.lee@sydney.edu.au

Mark Halsey, Centre for Crime Policy & Research, College of Business, Government & Law, Flinders University

Mark Halsey, Centre for Crime Policy & Research, College of Business, Government & Law, Flinders University. Email address: mark.halsey@flinders.edu.au

References

Brender, Y., 2017. Children as young 12 attend out-of-control unsupervised party with 250 teens that spilled out onto a Perth street. Daily Mail [online], 18 November. https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-5095037/Kids-young-12-raucous-party-spilled-street.html [Access 7 June 2021].

Cohen, S., 2011. Folk Devils and Moral Panic. London: Routledge. DOI: https://doi.org/10.4324/9780203828250

Flynn, A., and Henry, N., 2019. Image-Based Sexual Abuse: An Australian Reflection. Women and Criminal Justice [online]. Available from: https://doi.org/10.1080/08974454.2019.1646190 [Access 7 June 2021]. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/08974454.2019.1646190

Flynn, A., Halsey, M., and Lee, M., 2016. Emblematic Violence and Aetiological Cul-De-Sacs: On the Discourse of “One Punch” Fatalities. British Journal of Criminology, 56(1), 179-195. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1093/bjc/azv039

Fox News, 2017. Irredeemable, no-good thugs. Fox News, 1 November.

Garland, D., 1996. The Limits of the Sovereign State: Strategies of Crime Control in Contemporary Society. British Journal of Criminology, 36(4), 445–71. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1093/oxfordjournals.bjc.a014105

Herald Sun, 2018. African gangs in Melbourne. Herald Sun, 4 January.

Lee, M., 2007. Inventing Fear of Crime: Criminology and the Politics of Anxiety. Compton: Willan.

Matza, D., and Sykes, G., 1961. Juvenile delinquency and subterranean values. American Sociological Review, 26(5), 712–19. DOI: https://doi.org/10.2307/2090200

Quilter, J., 2014. One Punch Laws, Mandatory Minimums and “Alcohol-Fuelled” as an Aggravating Factor: Implications for NSW Criminal Law. International Journal for Crime, Justice and Social Democracy [online], 3(1), 81–106. Available from: https://doi.org/10.5204/ijcjsd.v3i1.145 [Access 7 June 2021]. DOI: https://doi.org/10.5204/ijcjsd.v3i1.145

Rabinow, P., ed., 1984. The Foucault Reader. New York: Pantheon Books.

The Australian, 2018. African gang’s reign of fear in Melbourne’s West. The Australian, 6 January.

Tomsen, S., and Crofts, T., 2012. Social and Cultural Meanings of Legal Responses to Homicide Among Men: Masculine Honour, Sexual Advances and Accidents. Australian and New Zealand Journal of Criminology, 45, 423–37. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1177/0004865812456854

Turner-Cohen, A., 2021. Gang of Teenage Boys Randomly Attack Girls at Irish Railway Station Pushing One into Gap Between Train and Platform. 7 News Australia [online], 10 May. Available from: https://7news.com.au/news/crime/gang-of-teenage-boys-randomly-attack-girls-at-irish-railway-station-pushing-one-into-gap-between-train-and-platform-c-2801605 [Access 7 June 2021].

Downloads

Published

01-10-2021

How to Cite

Flynn, A., Lee, M. and Halsey, M. (2021) “Introduction: Youth violence: De-escalation strategies and socio-legal responses”, Oñati Socio-Legal Series, 11(5), pp. 1088–1094. doi: 10.35295/osls.iisl/0000-0000-0000-1211.