Colm Walsh
Biographic Data
| ID | 5146903 |
|---|---|
| NAME | Colm Walsh |
| GIVEN NAMES | Colm |
| FAMILY NAME | Walsh |
| SIGNATURE | WALSH C |
| AFFILIATIONS | Queen's University Belfast |
| ORCID | 0000-0002-7519-2153 |
| VERIFIED | Yes |
| TOTAL WORKS | 18 |
| TOTAL CITATIONS | 26 |
| AUTHOR COUNT | 18 |
| EDITOR COUNT | 0 |
| FIRST PUBLICATION YEAR | 2002 |
| LATEST PUBLICATION YEAR | 2026 |
| H-INDEX | 3 |
Amplifying Marginalised Voices: A Rapid Evidence Review of Participatory Methods Engaging Justice‐Involved Youth
This research explores participative approaches for amplifying the voices of justice‐involved youth, a marginalised group in criminological research. Using the SPIDER framework, this rapid evidence review examines engagement methods, such as photovoice and lyric writing. The findings show these techniques empower youth and promote self‐expression but are constrained by the dominance of risk‐focused approaches that prioritise adult‐led decision‐ma…
The Gendered Nature of Community- and Family-Level Adversity: Perspectives from Justice-Involved Youth in Northern Ireland
This qualitative study explores the gendered dimensions of community- and family-level adversity among justice-involved young people in Northern Ireland. Drawing on 30 semi-structured interviews with boys and girls referred to the Northern Ireland Youth Justice Agency, this research examines how gender shapes experiences of community and family deprivation, instability, and adversity, generally considered to be gender-neutral criminogenic needs. …
Tipping the scales: The predictive utility of the PCE-ACE ratio for criminogenic and wellbeing outcomes in a general adult population
The Profile and Characteristics of Young People Accessing Recently Implemented Community Forensic Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services (F: (CAMHS) in Northern Ireland
Children under the age of 18 who are known to forensic child and adolescent mental health services often present with complex psychosocial and behavioural needs that are elevated compared with those in the general youth population. The Forensic Child and Adolescent Mental Health Service for Northern Ireland (FCAMHSNI) was commissioned in 2014 to support these children. Despite almost a decade of implementation, the profile and characteristics in …
It’s a group-on-one’: Social disconnection as a tool of and defence against child criminal exploitation in the Republic of Ireland
Despite increasing evidence on the exploitation of young people into criminal activity, their perspectives on and experiences of exploitative processes are not well understood. Despite progress in Great Britain with regard to ‘County Lines’ exploitation, and in the Republic of Ireland regarding youth criminality and grooming, the subjective accounts of how young people understand the phenomenon of child criminal exploitation (CCE) remain under-ev…
Risk and refuge: Factors that facilitate and impede community supervision in post-conflict Northern Ireland
Community sanctions often require the coordination of support between probation staff and a range of non-governmental organisations (NGOs). Despite these burgeoning partnerships, few studies have explored the experiences of such support in settings where community spaces and structures remain contested, where violence remains endemic; and where paramilitary influence endures. This explorative study captured the voices of justice involved young me…
Street Doctors Northern Ireland: A mixed-method process and impact evaluation of a youth violence reduction intervention
Disrupting the cycle of youth violence: The role of social support for youth in a Northern Irish Youth Work Programme
Youth violence is a significant concern and previous research has found that violence is both trauma inducing and violence inducing. Meta-analyses have demonstrated that peri-trauma contextual factors such as the presence or absence of social supports following the onset of trauma may be predictive of the onset and duration of psychological stress. The aim of this study is to build upon the existing research evidence to clarify the links between …
The Pains of Paramilitarism: The Latent Criminogenic Effects of Exposure to Paramilitary Violence Among Young Men in a Post-Conflict Society
Purpose: Whilst most people who experience adversity recover, there is a cumulative body of evidence that illustrates that the effects can be long lasting, and can even become debilitating over time. Links have been made between traumatic distress, mental health disorders and disturbances in behavioural and emotional regulatory systems that may in context elevate the risk of offending. Despite the burgeoning evidence around the criminogenic effec…
From contextual to criminal harms: Young people’s understanding and experiences of the violence of criminal exploitation
Screening children with a history of maltreatment for post‐traumatic stress disorder in frontline social care organizations: A process evaluation
The use of standardized screening tools to identify trauma exposure and associated symptoms is commonly recommended as a key component in the development of trauma informed services and is seen as integral to facilitating access to evidence‐based therapies. However, there is limited evidence in the UK about the factors influencing the adoption of such tools into routine practice in children's social care. This paper presents the findings from a p…
Partners in prevention: The role of health systems in the prevention of youth violence in post-conflict Northern Ireland
A novel approach for understanding trauma-related youth violence in low resource contexts: A retrospective case file review in Northern Ireland
Adverse life events during childhood have been associated with increased rates of violence. Despite decades of violent conflict, there continues to be a paucity of contextually relevant data related to youth violence in Northern Ireland. Prospective studies are useful but these require time and resources that are not often available. In the absence of such studies, there remains a need to understand the prevalence and impact of serious youth viol…
I got into a very dark place”: Addressing the needs of young people leaving care during the Covid-19 pandemic
Purpose This paper aims to report on the findings of a qualitative study that explored the views and experiences of young people leaving care during the first phase of the Covid-19 pandemic in Northern Ireland. Design/methodology/approach A qualitative approach was adopted involving semi-structured interviews with 24 care leavers 18–25 years old from across the region. Interviews were conducted remotely online or by telephone and explored young p…
Life Under Coronavirus: Children’s Views on their Experiences of their Human Rights
Children have a right to have their views sought and given due weight on all matters affecting them, including at times of emergency and crisis. This article describes the process and findings of the ground-breaking CovidUnder19 survey (“Life Under Coronavirus”) which was co-designed with children for children, capturing the experiences of over 26,000 children in 137 countries as to the realisation of their human rights during the first six month…
The dissatisfied and the engaged: Citizen Support for Citizens’ Assemblies and Their Willingness to Participate
Ireland is a setting where citizens’ assemblies (CAs) have played a prominent role, driving considerable policy change and impactful referendum initiatives. Irish citizens are therefore particularly likely to be aware of the potential of such deliberative processes. We examine citizen’s support for political reforms towards more deliberation, as well as their potential willingness to engage. We find that support and participation are driven by ci…
Young men’s experiences of violence and crime in a society emerging from conflict
Previous studies have consistently established young men’s over representation in the criminal justice system particularly in relation to interpersonal violence. Despite this, the voice of young men are seldom heard, reducing our understanding of young men’s experience of crime and violence. As Northern Ireland emerged from the longest conflict in contemporary European history following the Good Friday Agreement of 1998, a new generation of young…
Culture and the state: Institutionalizing 'the underclass' in the new Ireland 1
This paper analyses some of the activities of a community development group connected to a very poor neighbourhood in Dublin, Ireland within the context of anti-poverty discourses and types of targeted funding generated by the European Union. Community development groups and discourses are saturated with terms such as the 'social market', 'inclusion' and 'community' that are an interesting combination of progressive politics and concepts recogniz…
The dissatisfied and the engaged: Citizen Support for Citizens’ Assemblies and Their Willingness to Participate
Ireland is a setting where citizens’ assemblies (CAs) have played a prominent role, driving considerable policy change and impactful referendum initiatives. Irish citizens are therefore particularly likely to be aware of the potential of such deliberative processes. We examine citizen’s support for political reforms towards more deliberation, as well as their potential willingness to engage. We find that support and participation are driven by ci…
Young men’s experiences of violence and crime in a society emerging from conflict
Previous studies have consistently established young men’s over representation in the criminal justice system particularly in relation to interpersonal violence. Despite this, the voice of young men are seldom heard, reducing our understanding of young men’s experience of crime and violence. As Northern Ireland emerged from the longest conflict in contemporary European history following the Good Friday Agreement of 1998, a new generation of young…
Culture and the state: Institutionalizing 'the underclass' in the new Ireland 1
This paper analyses some of the activities of a community development group connected to a very poor neighbourhood in Dublin, Ireland within the context of anti-poverty discourses and types of targeted funding generated by the European Union. Community development groups and discourses are saturated with terms such as the 'social market', 'inclusion' and 'community' that are an interesting combination of progressive politics and concepts recogniz…
Life Under Coronavirus: Children’s Views on their Experiences of their Human Rights
Children have a right to have their views sought and given due weight on all matters affecting them, including at times of emergency and crisis. This article describes the process and findings of the ground-breaking CovidUnder19 survey (“Life Under Coronavirus”) which was co-designed with children for children, capturing the experiences of over 26,000 children in 137 countries as to the realisation of their human rights during the first six month…
It’s a group-on-one’: Social disconnection as a tool of and defence against child criminal exploitation in the Republic of Ireland
Despite increasing evidence on the exploitation of young people into criminal activity, their perspectives on and experiences of exploitative processes are not well understood. Despite progress in Great Britain with regard to ‘County Lines’ exploitation, and in the Republic of Ireland regarding youth criminality and grooming, the subjective accounts of how young people understand the phenomenon of child criminal exploitation (CCE) remain under-ev…
A novel approach for understanding trauma-related youth violence in low resource contexts: A retrospective case file review in Northern Ireland
Adverse life events during childhood have been associated with increased rates of violence. Despite decades of violent conflict, there continues to be a paucity of contextually relevant data related to youth violence in Northern Ireland. Prospective studies are useful but these require time and resources that are not often available. In the absence of such studies, there remains a need to understand the prevalence and impact of serious youth viol…
I got into a very dark place”: Addressing the needs of young people leaving care during the Covid-19 pandemic
Purpose This paper aims to report on the findings of a qualitative study that explored the views and experiences of young people leaving care during the first phase of the Covid-19 pandemic in Northern Ireland. Design/methodology/approach A qualitative approach was adopted involving semi-structured interviews with 24 care leavers 18–25 years old from across the region. Interviews were conducted remotely online or by telephone and explored young p…
Culture and the state: Institutionalizing 'the underclass' in the new Ireland 1
This paper analyses some of the activities of a community development group connected to a very poor neighbourhood in Dublin, Ireland within the context of anti-poverty discourses and types of targeted funding generated by the European Union. Community development groups and discourses are saturated with terms such as the 'social market', 'inclusion' and 'community' that are an interesting combination of progressive politics and concepts recogniz…
Young men’s experiences of violence and crime in a society emerging from conflict
Previous studies have consistently established young men’s over representation in the criminal justice system particularly in relation to interpersonal violence. Despite this, the voice of young men are seldom heard, reducing our understanding of young men’s experience of crime and violence. As Northern Ireland emerged from the longest conflict in contemporary European history following the Good Friday Agreement of 1998, a new generation of young…
A novel approach for understanding trauma-related youth violence in low resource contexts: A retrospective case file review in Northern Ireland
Adverse life events during childhood have been associated with increased rates of violence. Despite decades of violent conflict, there continues to be a paucity of contextually relevant data related to youth violence in Northern Ireland. Prospective studies are useful but these require time and resources that are not often available. In the absence of such studies, there remains a need to understand the prevalence and impact of serious youth viol…
I got into a very dark place”: Addressing the needs of young people leaving care during the Covid-19 pandemic
Purpose This paper aims to report on the findings of a qualitative study that explored the views and experiences of young people leaving care during the first phase of the Covid-19 pandemic in Northern Ireland. Design/methodology/approach A qualitative approach was adopted involving semi-structured interviews with 24 care leavers 18–25 years old from across the region. Interviews were conducted remotely online or by telephone and explored young p…
Life Under Coronavirus: Children’s Views on their Experiences of their Human Rights
Children have a right to have their views sought and given due weight on all matters affecting them, including at times of emergency and crisis. This article describes the process and findings of the ground-breaking CovidUnder19 survey (“Life Under Coronavirus”) which was co-designed with children for children, capturing the experiences of over 26,000 children in 137 countries as to the realisation of their human rights during the first six month…
The dissatisfied and the engaged: Citizen Support for Citizens’ Assemblies and Their Willingness to Participate
Ireland is a setting where citizens’ assemblies (CAs) have played a prominent role, driving considerable policy change and impactful referendum initiatives. Irish citizens are therefore particularly likely to be aware of the potential of such deliberative processes. We examine citizen’s support for political reforms towards more deliberation, as well as their potential willingness to engage. We find that support and participation are driven by ci…
Partners in prevention: The role of health systems in the prevention of youth violence in post-conflict Northern Ireland
Street Doctors Northern Ireland: A mixed-method process and impact evaluation of a youth violence reduction intervention
Disrupting the cycle of youth violence: The role of social support for youth in a Northern Irish Youth Work Programme
Youth violence is a significant concern and previous research has found that violence is both trauma inducing and violence inducing. Meta-analyses have demonstrated that peri-trauma contextual factors such as the presence or absence of social supports following the onset of trauma may be predictive of the onset and duration of psychological stress. The aim of this study is to build upon the existing research evidence to clarify the links between …
The Pains of Paramilitarism: The Latent Criminogenic Effects of Exposure to Paramilitary Violence Among Young Men in a Post-Conflict Society
Purpose: Whilst most people who experience adversity recover, there is a cumulative body of evidence that illustrates that the effects can be long lasting, and can even become debilitating over time. Links have been made between traumatic distress, mental health disorders and disturbances in behavioural and emotional regulatory systems that may in context elevate the risk of offending. Despite the burgeoning evidence around the criminogenic effec…
From contextual to criminal harms: Young people’s understanding and experiences of the violence of criminal exploitation
Screening children with a history of maltreatment for post‐traumatic stress disorder in frontline social care organizations: A process evaluation
The use of standardized screening tools to identify trauma exposure and associated symptoms is commonly recommended as a key component in the development of trauma informed services and is seen as integral to facilitating access to evidence‐based therapies. However, there is limited evidence in the UK about the factors influencing the adoption of such tools into routine practice in children's social care. This paper presents the findings from a p…
The Profile and Characteristics of Young People Accessing Recently Implemented Community Forensic Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services (F: (CAMHS) in Northern Ireland
Children under the age of 18 who are known to forensic child and adolescent mental health services often present with complex psychosocial and behavioural needs that are elevated compared with those in the general youth population. The Forensic Child and Adolescent Mental Health Service for Northern Ireland (FCAMHSNI) was commissioned in 2014 to support these children. Despite almost a decade of implementation, the profile and characteristics in …
It’s a group-on-one’: Social disconnection as a tool of and defence against child criminal exploitation in the Republic of Ireland
Despite increasing evidence on the exploitation of young people into criminal activity, their perspectives on and experiences of exploitative processes are not well understood. Despite progress in Great Britain with regard to ‘County Lines’ exploitation, and in the Republic of Ireland regarding youth criminality and grooming, the subjective accounts of how young people understand the phenomenon of child criminal exploitation (CCE) remain under-ev…
Risk and refuge: Factors that facilitate and impede community supervision in post-conflict Northern Ireland
Community sanctions often require the coordination of support between probation staff and a range of non-governmental organisations (NGOs). Despite these burgeoning partnerships, few studies have explored the experiences of such support in settings where community spaces and structures remain contested, where violence remains endemic; and where paramilitary influence endures. This explorative study captured the voices of justice involved young me…
Amplifying Marginalised Voices: A Rapid Evidence Review of Participatory Methods Engaging Justice‐Involved Youth
This research explores participative approaches for amplifying the voices of justice‐involved youth, a marginalised group in criminological research. Using the SPIDER framework, this rapid evidence review examines engagement methods, such as photovoice and lyric writing. The findings show these techniques empower youth and promote self‐expression but are constrained by the dominance of risk‐focused approaches that prioritise adult‐led decision‐ma…
The Gendered Nature of Community- and Family-Level Adversity: Perspectives from Justice-Involved Youth in Northern Ireland
This qualitative study explores the gendered dimensions of community- and family-level adversity among justice-involved young people in Northern Ireland. Drawing on 30 semi-structured interviews with boys and girls referred to the Northern Ireland Youth Justice Agency, this research examines how gender shapes experiences of community and family deprivation, instability, and adversity, generally considered to be gender-neutral criminogenic needs. …
Tipping the scales: The predictive utility of the PCE-ACE ratio for criminogenic and wellbeing outcomes in a general adult population
Psychology (12 works) · Medicine (10 works) · Child Abuse and Trauma (9 works) · Poison control (9 works) · Political science (8 works) · Sociology (8 works) · Suicide prevention (8 works) · Social Psychology (7 works) · Social Psychology (7 works) · Criminology (6 works)