Introduction to Another Chance: a realist multi-centred randomised controlled trial of a focused deterrence violence intervention in England

• In Event: Another Chance: a realist multi-centred randomised controlled trial of a focused deterrence violence intervention in England

Abstract

Focused deterrence, which combines mechanisms of deterrence and enforcement, support to desist and community influence, is regarded as one of the most promising intervention responses to interpersonal violence. The intervention has been adopted enthusiastically in the UK. However, this enthusiasm is derived from evaluations of interventions that almost exclusively took place in the United States using retrospective evaluation methods.

Despite there being a significant volume of studies supporting the effectiveness of focused deterrence, the deployment of this intervention in response to extreme circumstances within areas, underpowered study designs, limited process evaluation and a singularly US focus leaves the evidence susceptible to regression-to-the-mean, false positive bias, vaguely defined intervention mechanisms and limited generalisability to a UK context.

Another Chance is a multi-centred evaluation of a focused deterrence evaluation developed and implemented in five cities in England that began in 2022 and that will conclude in 2027. The evaluation is designed to address some of the empirical shortcomings of the focused deterrence literature through a realist randomised controlled study design. By witnessing the development and deployment of the interventions alongside a well-powered randomised study design, the project can describe the practicalities and complexities of a three-pronged violence intervention and introduce the voice of the intervention cohort while also promising robust insight into the programme’s effects on interpersonal violence.

This presentation by the project PI will provide a brief overview of the study origins, theoretical framework, study design and progress to date foregrounding the three subsequent panel papers.

Author

• Iain Brennan, University of Hull