The Greentown Project:  Building Evidence to inform  Intervention Design for  Juveniles Caught-up in Local  Criminal Networks

A small minority of juveniles are responsible for the majority of detected juvenile  crime in Ireland. This situation presents significant policy concerns. The current paper,  based on findings from a comparative analysis builds on a multi-step research design  process to provide evidence-based knowledge to inform the design of a new targeted  intervention. An initial social network analysis of national crime and intelligence  data produced localized basic criminal network maps illustrating co-offending and  intelligence relationships between adults and juveniles in specific Police sub-districts  (Part 1). These network maps then provided an enquiry frame for interviews with  members of the police forces in three case study locations (Part 2). A comparative  analysis of the three studies (Part 3) identified diversity in network structure  and inherent resilience. The analysis also identifies core similarities in juveniles’  vulnerabilities and risks to recruitment. These factors are important considerations  for an intervention seeking to disrupt networks and create safe “exit” environments  for juveniles.