ABSTRACT
Gang-related violence has appeared frequently in the media, often resulting in demands for actions to counter this. This chapter examines some of the violent actions associated with gangs and the subsequent calls for responses to these actions. It analyses the extent and causal tendencies of gang-related violence associated with drug dealing networks known as County lines, and offers a critical realist perspective to examine the complex interactions of the three modes of violence: subjective; objective; and symbolic. Discerning and explaining the behaviour of individuals and social groups in relation to social structures and culture is central to sociological analysis. The extent of gang membership in England was approximated by a study undertaken for the Children’s Commissioner for England in 2019. P. Andell and J. Pitts argue that there has been organizational transformations in some crack and heroin markets undertaken by street gangs who have distanced themselves from the streets and are now embedded in retail drug distribution networks.
