All Souls/Criminology Anniversary Alumni Series: The Public Health Approach to Violence Reduction: Stories, Movements and Hope

Abstract:

In recent years, the UK has seen the emergence of a new approach to violence reduction—the public health approach—which prioritizes early intervention and holistic support to prevent violence upstream. This movement, based in part on a perceived success story in Scotland, has led to the founding of more than twenty Violence Reduction Units in England and Wales, and more than £200m of funding to support evidence-based interventions. This talk is based on a four-year, multi-method study of the public health approach to violence reduction in Scotland and England. Drawing on 190 interviews with leading professionals working in violence reduction, the talk will trace the evolution of the approach through different scales of policymaking and scrutinize the claims of its potential. Based on a conceptual foundation rooted in Bourdieu’s concept of ‘symbolic revolution’ alongside narrative criminology, the talk will explore the preconditions of change within police, practice and communities affected by violence. Informed by insights from the young people directly affected, the talk will argue for the need to anchor policy in everyday life, creating a roadmap for future policy that is deeply rooted in community experience.

Bio: Alistair Fraser is currently Professor of Criminology in the School of Social & Political Sciences, University of Glasgow, based within the Scottish Centre for Crime and Justice Research. His work focuses broadly on young people, violence, and urban space, and has led or co-led studies for the ESRC, Scottish Government, British Academy and Chief Scientists Office. He is the author or co-author of four books: Urban Legends: Gang Identity in the Post-Industrial City (OUP, 2015); Gangs & Crime: Critical Alternatives (SAGE, 2017); Preventing Violence (BUP, 2025); and The Public Health Approach to Violence Reduction: Stories, Movements and Hope (2026). He is a former BBC New Generation Thinker, and in 2025 released the podcast Young Warriors which has been shortlisted for several awards, and is currently working on a book for a trade imprint that will trace a critical global history of gangs.