Ross Coomber’s study entitled “A Tale of Two Cities: Understanding Differences in Levels of Heroin/Crack Market-Related Violence-A Two City Comparison” looks into drug market violence in two English cities. Most media portrayals of drugs, drug use, and drug dealers is sensationalized and often inaccurate due to gross exaggerations and generalizations. Coomber questioned this logic, however, prompting his study into the reality of drug market violence. He began with a broad research question regarding violence in drug markets, but throughout his introduction he narrowed it to a more focused scope of research. The result was a clear, well defined research question with possibilities of expansion through future studies. Coomber hypothesized
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The closed market reduces the likelihood of law enforcement interference, but also plays a role in lessening the overall drug market violence. While violence is not completely absent in the drug market, it is much less visible than the media often suggests. One respondent from Plymouth stated that in his experience, Plymouth was a much safer area for drug trade than Liverpool or Bristol, for example. A subject from Southend-on-Sea went so far as to say that there was enough room for all the buyers and sellers, with the only real problems coming from the Somalians. This implies that violence is not innately connected with drug markets, but is an aspect of the individualized markets instead. Ultimately, Coomber’s research upheld his hypothesis that violence in drug markets is not systemic, but rather depends on structural and cultural conditions of the respective …show more content…
More research could also be conducted in regards to drug market violence related to the use of “higher end” drugs, as crack and heroin usage is often connected to a lower class or less affluent offender than powder cocaine or certain prescription medications, for example. Also, in his conclusion Coomber acknowledged that his data is not directly transferable or generalizable in different contexts. Plymouth and Southend-on-Sea are both coastal cities with some distance from their main drug supply hubs, Liverpool and London respectively. Perhaps the results would have been different in a larger city, closer to a supply hub, or in a smaller town. There are many opportunities for further research into this
The closed market reduces the likelihood of law enforcement interference, but also plays a role in lessening the overall drug market violence. While violence is not completely absent in the drug market, it is much less visible than the media often suggests. One respondent from Plymouth stated that in his experience, Plymouth was a much safer area for drug trade than Liverpool or Bristol, for example. A subject from Southend-on-Sea went so far as to say that there was enough room for all the buyers and sellers, with the only real problems coming from the Somalians. This implies that violence is not innately connected with drug markets, but is an aspect of the individualized markets instead. Ultimately, Coomber’s research upheld his hypothesis that violence in drug markets is not systemic, but rather depends on structural and cultural conditions of the respective …show more content…
More research could also be conducted in regards to drug market violence related to the use of “higher end” drugs, as crack and heroin usage is often connected to a lower class or less affluent offender than powder cocaine or certain prescription medications, for example. Also, in his conclusion Coomber acknowledged that his data is not directly transferable or generalizable in different contexts. Plymouth and Southend-on-Sea are both coastal cities with some distance from their main drug supply hubs, Liverpool and London respectively. Perhaps the results would have been different in a larger city, closer to a supply hub, or in a smaller town. There are many opportunities for further research into this