The Greentown Project: The Twinsight Methodology

• In Event: Youths’ Involvement in Organized Crime - Panel 2

Abstract

The Twinsight methodology was developed in 2016 to increase our understanding of the social drivers of children and young people's more serious and persistent offending behaviour (Redmond, 2016). Twinsight uses SNA of police Crime and Intelligence data to construct a local criminal network map. This map is used as a framework for interviews with local police to confidentially capture their expert knowledge of the individuals (nodes) and connections (edges) illustrated on the map. This methodology identified that local children were recruited into the criminal networks, membership of which impacted their offending patterns. Twinsight allows us to zoom in to provide a detailed understanding of individual contexts and zoom out to understand the size and dynamics of the criminal network and how it sustained itself.
This methodology has been repeated four times in different locations in Ireland. First, it was used to identify if the original findings could be generalised to other locations (Bluetown and Redtown) and to inform the development of the Greentown Programme (Naughton, Redmond, O’Meara Daly, 2023). This community-based intervention is for children and young people involved in local criminal networks. Second, Twinsight was used in the two programme trial sites (Whitetown and Yellowtown) to identify both young people for referral to the programme and potential target areas for network disruption.
This presentation will provide an overview of the original methodology and its adaptations when used in the two replication locations and two trial sites. It will also outline young people’s vulnerability factors and recruitment mechanisms.

Author

• Catherine Mary Naughton, REPPP University of Limerick