Family Ties and the Socio-Spatial Dynamics of Gang Violence in Bermuda

• In Event: Race, Culture, and the Collateral Dimensions of Familial Punishment

Abstract

This paper explores the role of familial relationships within the socio-spatial dynamics of gang violence in Bermuda, drawing on qualitative research conducted with individuals impacted by gang activity, including those with lived experience, community stakeholders, and participants in positions of influence (elite participants. Bermuda’s small, interconnected society amplifies the influence of kinship networks, shaping both pathways into gang involvement and potential avenues for desistance. Familial ties function as both protective and risk factors, offering support systems while also reinforcing cycles of violence through intergenerational tension and trauma, social capital, and community loyalties. The paper considers how the island’s compact urban environment and historical legacies of exclusion shape these dynamics, influencing access to economic resources, justice, and social mobility. It explores the issue of how family structures interact with wider socio-economic conditions, the criminal justice system, and community-based interventions in shaping responses to gang-related violence. By situating these familial aspects within Bermuda’s unique socio-spatial context, this paper contributes to a broader discussion on how small-island settings mediate the intersections of family, crime, and social policy.

Author

• Frankco Harris, University of Oxford