The Existing Evidence on Early Year Interventions for Violence Reduction: A Systematic Review

Exposure to violence in early childhood is considered a public health issue and is asignificant predictor of becoming a victim or perpetrator of violence later in life (Haines & Case, 2018). There has been a significant increase in violence intervention and prevention programmes that are available for children and young people, however, there are few evidence-based interventions for younger children. This review systematically explores the existing impact evidence for available intervention and prevention programmes targeted at young children (ages 3-8) across the United States and United Kingdom. It also explores the feasibility and methodological issues faced with school-based prevention work. Using the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) guidelines, 6 electronic databases were systematically searched. Of the initial 766 articles, 13 met the final inclusion criteria. The findings showed that early intervention programmes for vulnerable children can promote prosocial behaviours and protective factors. Outcomesincluded improved academic achievement, implementation of SEL-based learning, decrease in violence and criminal justice-related outcomes, and increased resiliency and emotional development among children. Evidence also showed that trauma-informed training for staff and teachers can increase teacher awareness of trauma and the importance of trauma- informed practices. Most programmes showed positive change in children as a result of early intervention programmes. We discuss important issues for policy and practice in early years teaching, particularly for high-risk populations, and the importance of trauma-informed practices in the long-term, public health approach to violence prevention and reduction. We also highlight important areas for future research on violence prevention programmes

Does sexual identity and religious practice have implications for individual’s subjective health and wellbeing? Secondary data analysis of the Community Life Survey

The health and wellbeing of LGB individual’s has gained attention in recent years, with increased recognition of the unique stressors associated with physical and psychological health concerns. Religious status and psychological health have been explored in the general population, however, few studies have explored sexual identity and religious status for implications on mental health and wellbeing. A secondary data analysis was performed on the Community Life Survey (Department for Culture, Media & Sport, 2019). A multivariate interaction was found between age, religious practice and sexual identity when considering four scores for wellbeing. An ANOVA of the Combined wellbeing scores revealed significant difference between sexual identity groups with the LGB group scoring lowest for combined wellbeing score and highlighted a significant interaction between religion and sexual identity. General health scores revealed significant difference between groups for religious practice. The implications of these findings for policy and practice are discussed, emphasising the importance of understanding and challenging cultural norms in service settings. There is a need to understand LGB individuals’ experiences and access to services to support mental health and wellbeing as key groups, such as LGB, are at greater risk of lower levels of wellbeing and increase levels of dissatisfaction

‘Teachable’ and ‘reachable moments’ in violence prevention and reduction::Does coaching psychology have something to offer criminal justice and forensic psychology services?

‘Teachable’ and ‘Reachable’ moments interventions have been developed across a number of Violence Reduction Partnerships and Police forces. However, limited evidence currently exists about the effectiveness of this delivery. In addition, the precise delivery of a teachable and/ or reachable moment - what the conversation and interaction looks like - is also not detailed or captured in the existing literature and leaves questions about the format and approach. This paper makes a case for the input of coaching psychology to provide an underpinning for the approach adopted by teachable and/or reachable moments. The paper argues that a coaching psychology approach could build on the already established mechanisms within the intervention delivery by providing additional tools to understand the clients, and formats for shaping the interactions within these interventions

Delusional Ideation, Cognitive Processes and Crime Based Reasoning

Probabilistic reasoning biases have been widely associated with levels of delusional belief ideation (Galbraith, Manktelow & Morris, 2011; Lincoln, Ziegler, Mehl, & Rief, 2010; Speechley, Whitman, & Woodward, 2009; White & Mansell, 2009), however, little research has focused on biases occurring during every day reasoning (Galbraith, Manktelow & Morris, 2011), and moral and crime based reasoning (Wilkinson, Jones & Caulfield, 2011; Wilkinson, Caulfield & Jones, 2014). 235 participants were recruited across four experiments exploring crime based reasoning through different modalities and dual processing tasks. Study one explored delusional ideation when completing a visually presented crime based reasoning task. Study two explored the same task in an auditory presentation. Study three utilised a dual task paradigm to explore modality and executive functioning. Study four extended this paradigm to the auditory modality. The results indicated that modality and delusional ideation have a significant effect on individuals reasoning about violent and non-violent crime (p<0.05), which could have implication for the presentation of evidence in applied setting such as the courtroom

A systematic review of the characteristics and needs of older prisoners

The older prisoner population is growing faster than the older general population and placing a strain on prisons. Much of the existing literature focusses on the healthcare needs of, or in-prison initiatives for, older prisoners. Typically, these are responsive and lacking an evidence-based understanding of the characteristics and needs of this group. There is a need to review and understand what the existing evidence base concludes about the needs of this population. This paper presents a systematic review of the existing literature on the needs and characteristics of older people in contact with the criminal justice system. After a thorough search and selection process, 21 papers, from 2002 onwards, were included in the final analysis. The review process was structured through PICOs and reported using PRISMA. The contradictions within the existing evidence base make it difficult to reach firm conclusions about the needs and characteristics of older prisoners. What is clear from the existing research are the relatively high levels of need. There is also some consensus that where older people commit homicide the victim is likely to be an intimate partner. Overall, there a need for consistent recording and reporting of characteristics and demographics and more systematic study design. This paper has highlighted the key findings and limitations in the existing literature. Future research should make use of secondary official data sources to provide a clearer understanding of the characteristics of this group, their routes to prison, their needs, and challenges they present

Exploratory Evaluation of the Pilot Programme of Round Midnight Virtual Decisions: KNIVES Workshops, a VR-Based Violence Prevention Programme

Round Midnight is a creative arts company that specialises in the use of drama and technology in education. They piloted a series of Virtual Reality (VR) based workshops for children and young people across Birmingham, focussing on issues within communities such as knife crime and gang violence. An exploratory evaluation of the initial impact of the workshops was carried out in two Year Five and Year Six classes in a primary school in Birmingham. Quantitative and Qualitative pre and post-survey data from children, and a teacher focus group, were used to assess the influence of the programme on the following: (1) Understanding knife crime, the misconceptions and why people may carry knives; (2) Understanding the dangers, consequences and implications of carrying knives; (3) Recognising loyal and trustworthy friendships; (4) Recognising how to resolve conflict safely.Survey data suggested a decrease in children’s self-reported likelihood of carrying a knife after they had participated in the workshops. The data suggested children had more in-depth knowledge of knife crime, including the misconceptions, consequences and impacts of carrying a knife after participating in the workshops. Children also showed an understanding of safe conflict resolution after the workshops. Overall, the data suggests that the pilot of the Round Midnight Virtual Decisions: KNIVES curriculum had a positive impact on children’s knowledge, understanding and attitudes toward knife crime. Practical applications are discussed. <br/

Developing creative methodologies: using lyric writing to capture young peoples’ experiences of the youth offending services during the COVID-19 pandemic

Purpose The COVID-19 lockdowns (2020–2021) disrupted all aspects of usual functioning of the criminal justice system, the outcomes and impact of which are largely still unknown. The pandemic has affected individuals across the wider society, this includes a negative impact on the social circumstances of children and young people involved within youth offending services (YOS) (Her Majesty’s Inspectorate of Probation, 2020; Criminal Justice Joint Inspectorates, 2021). This population frequently represents those from marginalised circumstances and are rarely given the opportunity to participate meaningfully in the services they are involved in. The purpose of this study was to explore the experiences of the young people serving orders with the YOS during Covid19 lockdowns and requirements. Design/methodology/approach This paper outlines a creative methodology and method used to uncover the experiences and perceptions of young people undergoing an order within a YOS during the COVID-19 lockdowns. The arts-based approach entailed a novel and creative method using a lyric artist to engage with young people through a virtual platform, supporting them to create lyrics about their experiences of the YOS during this time. Findings The artist developed a successful rapport with young people based on familiarity with, and passion for, music. He promoted their strengths, improving their confidence which was perceived to elicit more in-depth perspectives that might not have otherwise been obtained using more traditional methods. As such, the method and methodology outlined developed the young people’s social and communicative skills whilst producing meaningful feedback that can contribute to the YOS recovery plan and thus future of the service. Practical implications This paper reports on a novel arts-based research methodology, implemented to capture meaningful data from participants during the COVID-19 pandemic. Originality/value This paper reports on a novel arts-based research methodology, implemented to capture meaningful data from participants during the COVID-19 pandemic

Criminological Research, Policy and PracticeDeveloping creative methodologies: using lyric writing to capture young peoples’ experiences of the Youth Offending Services during the Covid19 pandemic

The Covid19 lockdowns (2020-2021) disrupted all aspects of usual functions of the Criminal Justice System, the outcomes and impact of which are largely still unknown. The pandemic affected individuals across the wider society, this includes the social circumstances of young people involved within Youth Offending Services (YOS) (Her Majesty’s Inspectorate of Probation, 2020; Criminal Justice Joint Inspectorates, 2021). This population is frequently drawn from marginalised circumstances and rarely given the opportunity to participate meaningfully in the services they are involved in. This paper outlines a creative methodology and method used to uncover the experiences and perceptions of the young people undergoing an order within a YOS during the Covid19 lockdowns. The arts-based approach entailed a novel and creative method using an artist to engage with young people through a virtual platform, supporting them to devise lyrics which captured their perceptions and experiences of the YOS during this time. The artist developed a successful rapport with young people based on, familiarity with and passion for, music. He promoted their strength, improving their confidence which was perceived to elicit more in-depth perspectives that might not have otherwise been obtained using more traditional methods. As such, the method and methodology outlined developed the young peoples social and communicative skills whilst producing meaningful feedback that can contribute to the YOS recovery plan and thus future of the service. This paper reports on a novel arts-based research methodology, implemented to capture meaningful data from participants during the Covid19 pandemic. This paper reports on a novel arts-based research methodology, implemented to capture meaningful data from participants during the Covid19 pandemic