Robert Ralphs
Biographic Data
| ID | 6634299 |
|---|---|
| NAME | Robert Ralphs |
| GIVEN NAMES | Robert |
| FAMILY NAME | Ralphs |
| SIGNATURE | RALPHS R |
| AFFILIATIONS | Manchester Metropolitan University |
| ORCID | 0000-0001-8359-2598 |
| VERIFIED | Yes |
| TOTAL WORKS | 14 |
| TOTAL CITATIONS | 61 |
| WORKS AS AUTHOR | 14 |
| WORKS AS EDITOR | 0 |
| FIRST PUBLICATION YEAR | 2002 |
| LATEST PUBLICATION YEAR | 2025 |
| H-INDEX | 4 |
Tackling hospital service burden of alcohol dependence in England
Background Chronic alcohol disorder hospital admissions are increasing in England and present a huge cost to England’s health and social care costs. Hospital-based alcohol care teams (ACTs) aim to better meet these patients’ complex needs through assessment and targeted referral. This has the potential to work effectively within England’s newly established integrated care system.Methods The aim of this project was to identify in what ways ACTs ca…
Anabolic androgenic steroid use population size estimation
Harms associated with anabolic androgenic steroids (AAS) use are well-established and a public health concern. Robust estimates of the numbers using AAS are needed to inform responses, however, in the UK these are lacking. Due to the comparative rarity and associated stigma, general population surveys are problematic and data availability limits the use of indirect approaches. To address this, the Delphi method was used to refine the key paramete…
Systems mapping to understand complexity in the association between image and performance enhancing drugs (Ipeds) and harm
Systems mapping methods are a useful approach to engage stakeholders to discuss drug use issues. A comprehensive policy response is required to this complex issue that recognises diversity in IPEDs communities, their decision-making, and their intervention and service needs, as current approaches are failing to adequately address important areas of harm. Engaging with a wide range of stakeholders is critical to generate new insights that can help…
The impact of the 2016 Psychoactive Substances Act on synthetic cannabinoid use within the homeless population
The foreseen concerns that the Act would result in detrimental market changes and increased harms to vulnerable user groups have been manifested in the homeless population. The failure of the Act to reduce synthetic cannabinoid use within this group, combined with the increased risk of individual and societal harm, highlights the importance of reducing the demand for synthetic cannabinoids
A sentinel population
The use of synthetic cannabinoid receptor agonists (SCRAs) within the homeless population
Background Synthetic cannabinoid receptor agonists (SCRAs) have become increasingly associated with a range of physical, mental health and societal harms. In response, several countries have introduced legislation aimed at restricting their supply and use. While these legislative changes have led to a decrease in SCRA use within the general population, SCRAs remain popular within vulnerable populations, in particular the homeless. This article pr…
European Youth Gang Policy in Comparative Context
The past decade has seen increased reports of street gangs across a range of contexts. In Europe, anxieties over street‐based youth has led to the development of gang‐specific policies across a range of jurisdictions, most notably the UK. Following a similar pattern of policy mobility in criminal justice, many of these policies have origins in the US system. In this review of international gang policy developments, we critically examine a number …
Used and Abused
This paper draws primarily on research undertaken in the north of England. The research focused on assessing the current situation in relation to the extent, and nature, of violent gang activity in three predominately Asian (Pakistani and Bangladeshi) areas. Empirical evidence is provided of the problematic way that the term ‘gang’ is being used and, argued, abused in the United Kingdom. The uncritical acceptance of the term gang into UK policy a…
Mentoring Siblings of Gang Members
Mentoring has become a popular model of intervention to reduce the risk of offending, and has been proposed as an effective tool to tackle the risk of gang membership. This paper reviews the existing literature on mentoring and reports on a qualitative evaluation of a mentoring programme targeted at young people ‘at risk’ of gang membership in an English city. The study highlights important issues around these interventions. Although we found it …
Hidden Behind the Gunfire
This article uses data from a 3-year multisite ethnographic research study of gangs within an English city, to explore the different ways that "gang culture" shapes the victimization experiences and everyday lives of (young) women. Victims of lethal gang violence in Research City are almost exclusively young men, rendering invisible the ways in which gangs have an impact on the lives of women living in neighborhoods with a gang presence. The arti…
Blame the Parents? Challenges for Parent‐Focused Programmes for Families of Gang‐Involved Young People
Parent‐focused interventions are a potentially effective tool for preventing and reducing gang involvement, although the challenges of delivering such services are considerable. Drawing from data collected over 26 months for the ethnographic study, Youth Gangs in an English City, including interviews with parents of gang‐involved young people, we identify potential obstacles. These include: psychological barriers to the participation of parents r…
Who needs enemies with friends like these? The importance of place for young people living in known gang areas
Despite a growing concern about gangs in Britain, academic research that focuses on gangs remains scarce. Drawing on data from the ESRC-funded ethnographic research YOGEC (Youth Gangs in an English City) project, this paper explores the negotiation of space and place by young people living in inner-city areas affected by gangs. Using a combination of fieldwork observations and focus group and interview data, this paper charts the experiences of n…
Risk, Security and The 'Criminalization' of British Drug Policy
Recent British drug policy has increasingly focused on ‘problem drug users’, namely users of heroin and/or crack-cocaine who are involved in acquisitive offending. The overarching objective of the new drug policy agenda is to develop and enhance the pathways between the criminal justice system and drug treatment services, with the aim of reducing this ‘drug-related’ crime. The emphasis on crime reduction, and on drug treatment in the criminal jus…
Work orders
The analysis of employment histories has been facilitated recently by advances in survey methodology, statistical processes and computing power. While much work has focused on transitions between states and time spent in one state, the potential of analysing a series of states (i.e. careers) has largely been ignored. A concentration on movement between two states, whilst allowing relevant contextual covariates to be controlled for, often ignores …
Who needs enemies with friends like these? The importance of place for young people living in known gang areas
Despite a growing concern about gangs in Britain, academic research that focuses on gangs remains scarce. Drawing on data from the ESRC-funded ethnographic research YOGEC (Youth Gangs in an English City) project, this paper explores the negotiation of space and place by young people living in inner-city areas affected by gangs. Using a combination of fieldwork observations and focus group and interview data, this paper charts the experiences of n…
Work orders
The analysis of employment histories has been facilitated recently by advances in survey methodology, statistical processes and computing power. While much work has focused on transitions between states and time spent in one state, the potential of analysing a series of states (i.e. careers) has largely been ignored. A concentration on movement between two states, whilst allowing relevant contextual covariates to be controlled for, often ignores …
Used and Abused
This paper draws primarily on research undertaken in the north of England. The research focused on assessing the current situation in relation to the extent, and nature, of violent gang activity in three predominately Asian (Pakistani and Bangladeshi) areas. Empirical evidence is provided of the problematic way that the term ‘gang’ is being used and, argued, abused in the United Kingdom. The uncritical acceptance of the term gang into UK policy a…
Risk, Security and The 'Criminalization' of British Drug Policy
Recent British drug policy has increasingly focused on ‘problem drug users’, namely users of heroin and/or crack-cocaine who are involved in acquisitive offending. The overarching objective of the new drug policy agenda is to develop and enhance the pathways between the criminal justice system and drug treatment services, with the aim of reducing this ‘drug-related’ crime. The emphasis on crime reduction, and on drug treatment in the criminal jus…
Hidden Behind the Gunfire
This article uses data from a 3-year multisite ethnographic research study of gangs within an English city, to explore the different ways that "gang culture" shapes the victimization experiences and everyday lives of (young) women. Victims of lethal gang violence in Research City are almost exclusively young men, rendering invisible the ways in which gangs have an impact on the lives of women living in neighborhoods with a gang presence. The arti…
Work orders
The analysis of employment histories has been facilitated recently by advances in survey methodology, statistical processes and computing power. While much work has focused on transitions between states and time spent in one state, the potential of analysing a series of states (i.e. careers) has largely been ignored. A concentration on movement between two states, whilst allowing relevant contextual covariates to be controlled for, often ignores …
Risk, Security and The 'Criminalization' of British Drug Policy
Recent British drug policy has increasingly focused on ‘problem drug users’, namely users of heroin and/or crack-cocaine who are involved in acquisitive offending. The overarching objective of the new drug policy agenda is to develop and enhance the pathways between the criminal justice system and drug treatment services, with the aim of reducing this ‘drug-related’ crime. The emphasis on crime reduction, and on drug treatment in the criminal jus…
Who needs enemies with friends like these? The importance of place for young people living in known gang areas
Despite a growing concern about gangs in Britain, academic research that focuses on gangs remains scarce. Drawing on data from the ESRC-funded ethnographic research YOGEC (Youth Gangs in an English City) project, this paper explores the negotiation of space and place by young people living in inner-city areas affected by gangs. Using a combination of fieldwork observations and focus group and interview data, this paper charts the experiences of n…
Blame the Parents? Challenges for Parent‐Focused Programmes for Families of Gang‐Involved Young People
Parent‐focused interventions are a potentially effective tool for preventing and reducing gang involvement, although the challenges of delivering such services are considerable. Drawing from data collected over 26 months for the ethnographic study, Youth Gangs in an English City, including interviews with parents of gang‐involved young people, we identify potential obstacles. These include: psychological barriers to the participation of parents r…
Mentoring Siblings of Gang Members
Mentoring has become a popular model of intervention to reduce the risk of offending, and has been proposed as an effective tool to tackle the risk of gang membership. This paper reviews the existing literature on mentoring and reports on a qualitative evaluation of a mentoring programme targeted at young people ‘at risk’ of gang membership in an English city. The study highlights important issues around these interventions. Although we found it …
Hidden Behind the Gunfire
This article uses data from a 3-year multisite ethnographic research study of gangs within an English city, to explore the different ways that "gang culture" shapes the victimization experiences and everyday lives of (young) women. Victims of lethal gang violence in Research City are almost exclusively young men, rendering invisible the ways in which gangs have an impact on the lives of women living in neighborhoods with a gang presence. The arti…
Used and Abused
This paper draws primarily on research undertaken in the north of England. The research focused on assessing the current situation in relation to the extent, and nature, of violent gang activity in three predominately Asian (Pakistani and Bangladeshi) areas. Empirical evidence is provided of the problematic way that the term ‘gang’ is being used and, argued, abused in the United Kingdom. The uncritical acceptance of the term gang into UK policy a…
European Youth Gang Policy in Comparative Context
The past decade has seen increased reports of street gangs across a range of contexts. In Europe, anxieties over street‐based youth has led to the development of gang‐specific policies across a range of jurisdictions, most notably the UK. Following a similar pattern of policy mobility in criminal justice, many of these policies have origins in the US system. In this review of international gang policy developments, we critically examine a number …
The use of synthetic cannabinoid receptor agonists (SCRAs) within the homeless population
Background Synthetic cannabinoid receptor agonists (SCRAs) have become increasingly associated with a range of physical, mental health and societal harms. In response, several countries have introduced legislation aimed at restricting their supply and use. While these legislative changes have led to a decrease in SCRA use within the general population, SCRAs remain popular within vulnerable populations, in particular the homeless. This article pr…
The impact of the 2016 Psychoactive Substances Act on synthetic cannabinoid use within the homeless population
The foreseen concerns that the Act would result in detrimental market changes and increased harms to vulnerable user groups have been manifested in the homeless population. The failure of the Act to reduce synthetic cannabinoid use within this group, combined with the increased risk of individual and societal harm, highlights the importance of reducing the demand for synthetic cannabinoids
A sentinel population
Systems mapping to understand complexity in the association between image and performance enhancing drugs (Ipeds) and harm
Systems mapping methods are a useful approach to engage stakeholders to discuss drug use issues. A comprehensive policy response is required to this complex issue that recognises diversity in IPEDs communities, their decision-making, and their intervention and service needs, as current approaches are failing to adequately address important areas of harm. Engaging with a wide range of stakeholders is critical to generate new insights that can help…
Anabolic androgenic steroid use population size estimation
Harms associated with anabolic androgenic steroids (AAS) use are well-established and a public health concern. Robust estimates of the numbers using AAS are needed to inform responses, however, in the UK these are lacking. Due to the comparative rarity and associated stigma, general population surveys are problematic and data availability limits the use of indirect approaches. To address this, the Delphi method was used to refine the key paramete…
Tackling hospital service burden of alcohol dependence in England
Background Chronic alcohol disorder hospital admissions are increasing in England and present a huge cost to England’s health and social care costs. Hospital-based alcohol care teams (ACTs) aim to better meet these patients’ complex needs through assessment and targeted referral. This has the potential to work effectively within England’s newly established integrated care system.Methods The aim of this project was to identify in what ways ACTs ca…
Sociology (9 works) · Medicine (8 works) · Psychology (8 works) · Criminology (7 works) · Homelessness and Social Issues (7 works) · Political science (6 works) · Crime Patterns and Interventions (5 works) · Psychiatry (5 works) · Business (4 works) · Computer Science (4 works)