The War on Gangs or a War on Working Class Black Youths
In this essay, I will look at the similarities between the current Government’s ‘War on Gangs’ alongside the issues raised in Stuart Hall’s ‘Policing the Crisis: Mugging, the State, and Law and Order’. Stuart Hall’s original piece was written in 1978, and now with the government’s ‘Gang’ narrative emerging in 2011. I believe the comparison of these discourses/debates/discussions will demonstrate how Government, Judiciary, Police, Media and other public service providers overstate and overreact to a real societal problem. This overreaction, in turn, creates a moral panic within mainstream perspectives; it produces a real and tangible crisis within the communities that are being targeted by the above agencies
In this essay, I will look at the similarities between the current Government’s ‘War on
Gangs’ alongside the issues raised in Stuart Hall’s ‘Policing the Crisis: Mugging, the
State, and Law and Order’. Stuart Hall’s original piece was written in 1978, and now
with the government’s ‘Gang’ narrative emerging in 2011. I believe the comparison of
these discourses/debates/discussions will demonstrate how Government, Judiciary,
Police, Media and other public service providers overstate and overreact to a real
societal problem. This overreaction, in turn, creates a moral panic within mainstream
perspectives; it produces a real and tangible crisis within the communities that are
being targeted by the above agencies
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<strong>Gangs</strong> Risk Matrix<br />
May 29, 2015<br />
Supervisi<strong>on</strong> and boundaries are<br />
inc<strong>on</strong>sistent/parent (carer) is<br />
absent/ disinterested/<strong>or</strong> unable to<br />
exert c<strong>on</strong>trol <strong>or</strong> influence over the<br />
child/young pers<strong>on</strong><br />
Children and young people thrive <strong>on</strong><br />
positive boundaries and supervisi<strong>on</strong><br />
because this dem<strong>on</strong>strates care<br />
<strong>Gangs</strong> have lots of boundaries, rules,<br />
offer protecti<strong>on</strong>, help young people<br />
to feel “cared-f<strong>or</strong>”, and give them a<br />
sense of bel<strong>on</strong>ging<br />
Has the parent/carer actually<br />
rep<strong>or</strong>ted the child <strong>or</strong> young pers<strong>on</strong><br />
missing? Are they c<strong>on</strong>cerned<br />
about them?<br />
Is the parent/carer absent from the<br />
home f<strong>or</strong> significant periods,<br />
through w<strong>or</strong>k <strong>or</strong> social activity,<br />
leaving the young pers<strong>on</strong> al<strong>on</strong>e,<br />
perhaps even overnight?<br />
YES/NO<br />
Has the parent/carer expressed<br />
c<strong>on</strong>cern that they are unable to<br />
c<strong>on</strong>trol their child?<br />
Children subject to abuse <strong>or</strong><br />
neglect <strong>or</strong> from families<br />
experiencing domestic violence<br />
Often there will be a hist<strong>or</strong>y of<br />
referrals to/c<strong>on</strong>tact with social care<br />
Is there a hist<strong>or</strong>y of referrals to, <strong>or</strong><br />
c<strong>on</strong>tact with, social care?<br />
YES/NO<br />
Older sibling involvement in gangs<br />
– 8-13 year olds are the group<br />
most at risk<br />
3 School Dips in educati<strong>on</strong>al attendance <strong>or</strong><br />
attainment<br />
Younger siblings are often<br />
targeted/groomed by other gang<br />
members and can experience bullying<br />
and intimidati<strong>on</strong><br />
Especially where previously<br />
attendance and attainment were not a<br />
cause f<strong>or</strong> c<strong>on</strong>cern<br />
All younger siblings of gang<br />
members are at risk of gang<br />
involvement <strong>or</strong> of being harmed <strong>or</strong><br />
affected by their older sibling’s<br />
gang membership<br />
Has the young pers<strong>on</strong> started<br />
missing school? Are they achieving<br />
less than they are capable of? Is<br />
this a different pattern of<br />
behaviour that previously?<br />
YES/NO<br />
YES/NO<br />
Kate Malles<strong>on</strong> - Head of Youth and Family Supp<strong>or</strong>t Service 4
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