Dr Iain Brennan is a chartered research psychologist and Reader in the School of Education and Social Sciences at the University of Hull. Iain gained his PhD from Cardiff University in 2007 with a thesis entitled: "Weapon violence: An investigation of victimisation and offending". Prior to taking up his present position, he coordinated a complex intervention aimed at reducing alcohol-related violence in several towns in South Wales.
His research interests include violence, knife crime, crime prevention, alcohol misuse and victim behaviour. His work has appeared in journals including Psychiatry Research, Addiction and British Medical Journal.
He teaches undergraduate and postgraduate modules in Psychology, Research Methods and Criminology.
Objective: Following a pre-registered study design, estimate the effect of police force-wide dome... more Objective: Following a pre-registered study design, estimate the effect of police force-wide domestic abuse training on arrests for the new crime of ‘controlling or coercive behaviour’.Methods: Using data on monthly count of arrest for controlling or coercive behaviour in 33 police forces, we used a negative binomial difference-in-difference analysis and capitalised on differences in intervention timing to undertake an event study.Results: Training was associated with a 41% increase in arrest for controlling or coercive behaviour for trained forces compared to untrained forces (IRR 1.413, 95% CI 1.235–1.617). The event study illustrated that the increase in arrests in trained forces was consistent with the timing of the training.Conclusions: Training entire police forces to understand the dynamics of domestic abuse, including the new offence of coercive control, is effective in increasing the rate of arrest for coercive control.
This paper identifies longitudinal predictors of weapon-carrying in a sample of 10-25 year olds i... more This paper identifies longitudinal predictors of weapon-carrying in a sample of 10-25 year olds in England and Wales. It conceptualises weapon-carrying as anticipation of an adverse event and proposes hypotheses about the origins of weapon-carrying derived from the field of risk analysis. Specifically, it tests if worry about victimisation and experience of violence predict later weapon-carrying and assesses the moderating influence of trust in the police. The results indicate that worry about victimisation does not predict weapon-carrying, but experience of violence does. Distrust of police and peer criminality were also identified as important precursors to weapon-carrying. The study provides further evidence that weapon-carrying is a product of exposure to violence and criminogenic factors rather than a response to concern about victimisation.
Weapons are the tools of interpersonal violence, power, and control. The potential they have for ... more Weapons are the tools of interpersonal violence, power, and control. The potential they have for causing serious injury gives them a contradictory power: They can be used to do serious violence or to reduce the likelihood of any violence; they can deescalate an altercation or prime aggressive behavior; and they can be essential mechanisms for self- protection while also being offensive and dangerous. These contradictions make weapon carrying and use fascinating but complicated areas to study, and this complexity can be seen both in public and in academic debate. Throughout this chapter, when considering offender decision making, it is important to recall the many overlapping and often contradictory functions that weapons fulfill for users. Binary interpretations of weapons as having purely offensive or defensive functions will limit our ability to understand offender decision making and should be avoided wherever possible. This chapter is divided into four main sections that relate ...
We examined perspectives of social workers, police officers and specialist domestic abuse practit... more We examined perspectives of social workers, police officers and specialist domestic abuse practitioners about their perceived ability and organisational readiness to respond effectively to incidents of coercive and controlling behaviour. Interviews revealed intervention and risk assessment strategies structured around an outdated, maladaptive concept of domestic abuse as an unambiguous and violent event and frontline services that lacked appreciation of the power dynamics inherent in controlling relationships. The analysis demonstrates how lack of definitional clarity around non-physical domestic abuse can increase the use of discretion by frontline services and, by extension, increase the discounting of coercive control by pressured frontline officers.
This paper provides an evaluation of a police pilot early-diversion scheme for adult females who ... more This paper provides an evaluation of a police pilot early-diversion scheme for adult females who were arrested for low-severity offences using a natural experiment design. The intervention is novel in that it diverts arrestees to a women’s centre for assistance to address their criminogenic needs rather than process them through the criminal justice system. The intervention is timely and attractive given its rehabilitative features and its potential for reducing demand on the criminal justice system through community resolution. The study found a promising effect of the intervention on rates of rearrest and daily risk of rearrest over a twelve month follow-up period, but a higher frequency of rearrest among those of the intervention group who were rearrested. The findings are discussed in relation to the political context, theoretical background and police performance and the gendered dynamics of offending.
International Journal of Productivity and Performance Management, 2014
with Yongjiao Yang* and Mick Wilkinson *Corresponding author International Journal of Productivit... more with Yongjiao Yang* and Mick Wilkinson *Corresponding author International Journal of Productivity and Performance Management, 63(6), 779-796. Abstract Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to seek to investigate public trust as an important factor of performance in the charitable sector, and explain the necessity of including public trust assessment in charity performance measurement. Design/methodology/approach: Two focus group interviews were conducted in the UK to investigate the reasons for trust and lack of trust in charities, which contributed to the identification of the relation between public trust and charity performance measurement. Findings: Indicators of public trust in charities are not only related to some conventional criteria for evaluating charity performance, but also shed light on “soft” factors which are relatively new criteria used to assess performance. Furthermore, measuring public trust is an indispensable supplement to existing approaches of performance assessment in the charitable sector. It remedies the drawbacks of previous studies by employing a “bottom-up” approach to evaluation that avoids the conflicting demands of different stakeholders when deciding assessment criteria. Research limitations/implications: Re-conducting the study with larger samples, combining with quantitative surveys, and applying more rigorous approach to data analysis could be helpful for improving the generalizability of the results. Practical implications: The study highlights the necessity of considering public trust when measuring charity performance. Additionally, it suggests charities to make improvements of their performance based on the reasons for trust and lack of trust. Originality/value: It provides insight into the public trust of charities and, for the first time, explores the applicability of measuring public trust in charity performance evaluation. Keywords: Performance, Measurement, Indicator, Charity, Charitable sector, Public trust
This article explores the relationship between value similarity and public trust in charitable or... more This article explores the relationship between value similarity and public trust in charitable organisations. Through a focus group interview and an empirical study based on a UK sample, findings show that value similarity between the public and charitable organisations is an important driver of trust in charities even when individuals lack in depth knowledge of them. It is also an elemental domain of public trust in charities and makes the greatest contribution to explaining this concept. It is concluded that value similarity is the key to understanding and establishing public trust that is essential for prosperity of the voluntary sector.
The unfortunate experience of victims and their reactions to victimisation can provide insights i... more The unfortunate experience of victims and their reactions to victimisation can provide insights into public understanding of crime that could never be ethically or prospectively explored. One such insight emanates from the fact that many people do not regard violence against them as a crime. However, the factors that influence this response are unknown. Understanding how the ‘crimeworthiness’ of violence is interpreted allows an insight into how victims make sense of their experience, how communities influence attitudes towards victimisation and identifies a sub-group of victims within the ‘dark figure’ of crime. Using a pooled cross-sectional sample of respondents to the Crime Survey for England and Wales this paper will identify factors associated with the decision to label or discount a violent incident as a crime. The paper will show that harm, unjustness and relational distance are the principal components of a crime, but these factors are moderated by the normativity of victim...
ABSTRACT Background Violence is the fifth most common cause of death worldwide among 15–29 year o... more ABSTRACT Background Violence is the fifth most common cause of death worldwide among 15–29 year olds; in 2004 there were more than 600 000 deaths worldwide caused by violence.Methods Prompted by discoveries that a great deal of violence which results in emergency care is not ascertained by the police, a health service, police and local authority partnership was established in Cardiff to share emergency service data relevant to targeted prevention. Impact was assessed over 50 months using police records (more serious and less serious woundings, common assault), violence-related emergency department attendances in Cardiff and in Home Office designated most similar comparison cities. Socioeconomic conditions and adoption of a national crime recording standard in these cities were controlled for.FindingsThe programme was associated with a substantial and significant reduction in wounding (by approximately 100 per month by month 50; 95% CI 940 to 1070) and in emergency department attendances (by approximately 30 per month; 95% CI 235 to 375) and with a significant increase in common assaults (by approximately 35 per month (95% CI 287 to 410). Interpretation This programme is associated with reduced violence both from a police and emergency department perspective. The principal mechanism is likely to be more frequent and earlier police intervention consequent upon better targeted policing than is achievable using police data alone.
Objective: Following a pre-registered study design, estimate the effect of police force-wide dome... more Objective: Following a pre-registered study design, estimate the effect of police force-wide domestic abuse training on arrests for the new crime of ‘controlling or coercive behaviour’.Methods: Using data on monthly count of arrest for controlling or coercive behaviour in 33 police forces, we used a negative binomial difference-in-difference analysis and capitalised on differences in intervention timing to undertake an event study.Results: Training was associated with a 41% increase in arrest for controlling or coercive behaviour for trained forces compared to untrained forces (IRR 1.413, 95% CI 1.235–1.617). The event study illustrated that the increase in arrests in trained forces was consistent with the timing of the training.Conclusions: Training entire police forces to understand the dynamics of domestic abuse, including the new offence of coercive control, is effective in increasing the rate of arrest for coercive control.
This paper identifies longitudinal predictors of weapon-carrying in a sample of 10-25 year olds i... more This paper identifies longitudinal predictors of weapon-carrying in a sample of 10-25 year olds in England and Wales. It conceptualises weapon-carrying as anticipation of an adverse event and proposes hypotheses about the origins of weapon-carrying derived from the field of risk analysis. Specifically, it tests if worry about victimisation and experience of violence predict later weapon-carrying and assesses the moderating influence of trust in the police. The results indicate that worry about victimisation does not predict weapon-carrying, but experience of violence does. Distrust of police and peer criminality were also identified as important precursors to weapon-carrying. The study provides further evidence that weapon-carrying is a product of exposure to violence and criminogenic factors rather than a response to concern about victimisation.
Weapons are the tools of interpersonal violence, power, and control. The potential they have for ... more Weapons are the tools of interpersonal violence, power, and control. The potential they have for causing serious injury gives them a contradictory power: They can be used to do serious violence or to reduce the likelihood of any violence; they can deescalate an altercation or prime aggressive behavior; and they can be essential mechanisms for self- protection while also being offensive and dangerous. These contradictions make weapon carrying and use fascinating but complicated areas to study, and this complexity can be seen both in public and in academic debate. Throughout this chapter, when considering offender decision making, it is important to recall the many overlapping and often contradictory functions that weapons fulfill for users. Binary interpretations of weapons as having purely offensive or defensive functions will limit our ability to understand offender decision making and should be avoided wherever possible. This chapter is divided into four main sections that relate ...
We examined perspectives of social workers, police officers and specialist domestic abuse practit... more We examined perspectives of social workers, police officers and specialist domestic abuse practitioners about their perceived ability and organisational readiness to respond effectively to incidents of coercive and controlling behaviour. Interviews revealed intervention and risk assessment strategies structured around an outdated, maladaptive concept of domestic abuse as an unambiguous and violent event and frontline services that lacked appreciation of the power dynamics inherent in controlling relationships. The analysis demonstrates how lack of definitional clarity around non-physical domestic abuse can increase the use of discretion by frontline services and, by extension, increase the discounting of coercive control by pressured frontline officers.
This paper provides an evaluation of a police pilot early-diversion scheme for adult females who ... more This paper provides an evaluation of a police pilot early-diversion scheme for adult females who were arrested for low-severity offences using a natural experiment design. The intervention is novel in that it diverts arrestees to a women’s centre for assistance to address their criminogenic needs rather than process them through the criminal justice system. The intervention is timely and attractive given its rehabilitative features and its potential for reducing demand on the criminal justice system through community resolution. The study found a promising effect of the intervention on rates of rearrest and daily risk of rearrest over a twelve month follow-up period, but a higher frequency of rearrest among those of the intervention group who were rearrested. The findings are discussed in relation to the political context, theoretical background and police performance and the gendered dynamics of offending.
International Journal of Productivity and Performance Management, 2014
with Yongjiao Yang* and Mick Wilkinson *Corresponding author International Journal of Productivit... more with Yongjiao Yang* and Mick Wilkinson *Corresponding author International Journal of Productivity and Performance Management, 63(6), 779-796. Abstract Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to seek to investigate public trust as an important factor of performance in the charitable sector, and explain the necessity of including public trust assessment in charity performance measurement. Design/methodology/approach: Two focus group interviews were conducted in the UK to investigate the reasons for trust and lack of trust in charities, which contributed to the identification of the relation between public trust and charity performance measurement. Findings: Indicators of public trust in charities are not only related to some conventional criteria for evaluating charity performance, but also shed light on “soft” factors which are relatively new criteria used to assess performance. Furthermore, measuring public trust is an indispensable supplement to existing approaches of performance assessment in the charitable sector. It remedies the drawbacks of previous studies by employing a “bottom-up” approach to evaluation that avoids the conflicting demands of different stakeholders when deciding assessment criteria. Research limitations/implications: Re-conducting the study with larger samples, combining with quantitative surveys, and applying more rigorous approach to data analysis could be helpful for improving the generalizability of the results. Practical implications: The study highlights the necessity of considering public trust when measuring charity performance. Additionally, it suggests charities to make improvements of their performance based on the reasons for trust and lack of trust. Originality/value: It provides insight into the public trust of charities and, for the first time, explores the applicability of measuring public trust in charity performance evaluation. Keywords: Performance, Measurement, Indicator, Charity, Charitable sector, Public trust
This article explores the relationship between value similarity and public trust in charitable or... more This article explores the relationship between value similarity and public trust in charitable organisations. Through a focus group interview and an empirical study based on a UK sample, findings show that value similarity between the public and charitable organisations is an important driver of trust in charities even when individuals lack in depth knowledge of them. It is also an elemental domain of public trust in charities and makes the greatest contribution to explaining this concept. It is concluded that value similarity is the key to understanding and establishing public trust that is essential for prosperity of the voluntary sector.
The unfortunate experience of victims and their reactions to victimisation can provide insights i... more The unfortunate experience of victims and their reactions to victimisation can provide insights into public understanding of crime that could never be ethically or prospectively explored. One such insight emanates from the fact that many people do not regard violence against them as a crime. However, the factors that influence this response are unknown. Understanding how the ‘crimeworthiness’ of violence is interpreted allows an insight into how victims make sense of their experience, how communities influence attitudes towards victimisation and identifies a sub-group of victims within the ‘dark figure’ of crime. Using a pooled cross-sectional sample of respondents to the Crime Survey for England and Wales this paper will identify factors associated with the decision to label or discount a violent incident as a crime. The paper will show that harm, unjustness and relational distance are the principal components of a crime, but these factors are moderated by the normativity of victim...
ABSTRACT Background Violence is the fifth most common cause of death worldwide among 15–29 year o... more ABSTRACT Background Violence is the fifth most common cause of death worldwide among 15–29 year olds; in 2004 there were more than 600 000 deaths worldwide caused by violence.Methods Prompted by discoveries that a great deal of violence which results in emergency care is not ascertained by the police, a health service, police and local authority partnership was established in Cardiff to share emergency service data relevant to targeted prevention. Impact was assessed over 50 months using police records (more serious and less serious woundings, common assault), violence-related emergency department attendances in Cardiff and in Home Office designated most similar comparison cities. Socioeconomic conditions and adoption of a national crime recording standard in these cities were controlled for.FindingsThe programme was associated with a substantial and significant reduction in wounding (by approximately 100 per month by month 50; 95% CI 940 to 1070) and in emergency department attendances (by approximately 30 per month; 95% CI 235 to 375) and with a significant increase in common assaults (by approximately 35 per month (95% CI 287 to 410). Interpretation This programme is associated with reduced violence both from a police and emergency department perspective. The principal mechanism is likely to be more frequent and earlier police intervention consequent upon better targeted policing than is achievable using police data alone.
Slides from a presentation to the Society of Evidence-Based Policing Conference, Leeds, 1-2 Febru... more Slides from a presentation to the Society of Evidence-Based Policing Conference, Leeds, 1-2 February 2016.
Criminology has much to offer activities to reduce the harm of violent incidents –– particularly ... more Criminology has much to offer activities to reduce the harm of violent incidents –– particularly by reducing weapon-carrying and use – but the discipline's engagement with the harm reduction agenda has been limited. In addressing this, the paper identifies risk factors for carrying a weapon by a young person in England and Wales. It demonstrates that this decision is influenced by individual-, interpersonal-and community-level factors and that weapon carriers can be distinguished from other respondents using relatively few characteristics. The study also shows that defensive factors, such as victimisation and concerns about personal safety are relevant to understanding weapon-carrying, but they are outweighed by criminogenic factors such as violence, neighbourhood disorder and, importantly, lack of trust in the police.
This is a summary of the results of a study and has not yet been peer-reviewed. The full paper is... more This is a summary of the results of a study and has not yet been peer-reviewed. The full paper is in preparation.
A working document outlining the state of knowledge on the carrying and use of weapons in violenc... more A working document outlining the state of knowledge on the carrying and use of weapons in violence in the UK. The paper outlines the limited research on this topic and discusses how research findings from other parts of the world can and cannot be generalised to the UK. The paper list thirteen unanswered questions that are important to the understanding, harm reduction and prevention of weapon violence in the UK. Each of the twelve questions is accompanied by a very brief summary of the literature.
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