Alcohol Related Aggression in Licensed Premises: The Built Environment, Drinking Space, and Internal Configuration

Homel, R. and Clark, J. (1994) ‘The Prediction and Prevention of Violence in Pubs and Clubs’, in R.V. Clarke (ed.) Crime Prevention Studies, Vol. 3, New York: Criminal Justice Press.

Graham, K, Bernards, S, Osgood, D, Wells, S (2006) “Bad nights or bad bars? Multi-level analysis of environmental predictors of aggression in late-night large-capacity bars and clubs”, Addiction, Vol 101.
The aim of the research was to clarify environmental predictors of bar-room aggression by differentiating relationships due to nightly variations versus across bar variations, frequency versus severity of aggression and patron versus staff aggression. The results demonstrate clearly the importance of the immediate environment (not just the type of bar or characteristics of usual patrons) and the importance of specific environmental factors, including staff behaviour, in predicting both frequency and severity of aggression.

Graham, K, Homel, R (2008) Preventing aggression in and around bars, pubs and clubs, 296pp.
This book provides a definitive review of knowledge about bar room environments and their regulation, and provides directions for the prevention of aggression, violence and injury in and around public drinking establishments. It shows why drinking establishments are high risk for aggression, why some establishments are riskier than others, the effectiveness of existing interventions and policies, and the importance of better regulatory models for achieving safer drinking establishments.

Leather, P and Lawrence, C (1995) “Perceiving Pub Violence: The Symbolic Influence of Social and Environmental Factors”, British Journal of Social Psychology, 34, 395-407
Recent research on human violence emphasizes the importance of the internal, cognitive processes which influence the perceptions and evaluations involved in the classification of aggression. This study explores how specific social and environmental characteristics of public houses can influence the perception of some bars as being more 'violence prone and some licensees as being more aggressive. Ninety-six university undergraduates responded to vignettes and photographic information about an aggressive incident in a pub. The results show that judgements of the licensee and the pub atmosphere, together with estimates of incident frequency, are influenced in identifiable ways by manipulation of the physical and social 'character' of the setting. These results are discussed in terms of the social and physical symbolism inherent in the pub setting and the notion of person, environment and behaviour 'fit'. Some implications of the applied importance of the results are also drawn.

Leonard,K Quigley, B and Collins, R (2003) “Drinking, Personality, and Bar Environmental characteristics as predictors of involvement in barroom aggression”, Addictive Behaviours 28 (9) pp 1681-1700.
Theoretical approaches to alcohol and violence have emphasized three interrelated domains of influence: the situational context, aggression-facilitating characteristics of individuals, and the impact of alcohol consumption. We examined these three domains as predictors of experiencing violence in the barroom setting.

Lipton R, Gruenewald P (2002) “The spatial dynamics of violence and alcohol outlets”, Journal of Studies on Alcohol 63 (2): 187-195
This study examines whether the association between violence and population density is moderated by the presence of alcohol outlets, both within a target geographical area and in adjacent geographical areas. The effect of sociodemographic variables on violence is also examine controlling for spatial confounding. While limited to cross-sectional data, the current study suggests that alcohol outlets, in the presence of socioeconomic measures, moderate the occurrence of violence in urban areas.

Macintyre, S, Homel, R (1997) “Danger on the Dance Floor: A Study of Interior Design, Crowding and Aggression in Nightclubs”, In R.Homel (eds) Policing for Prevention: Reducing Crime, Public Intoxication and Injury, Crime Prevention Studies, Volume 7, Mosey NY: Criminal justice Press.
Evaluates programs to reduce crime and disorder related to alcohol and drug abuse in pubs, nightclubs, parks and elsewhere. Case studies are presented from Australia, Europe and North America.

Quigley, B , Leonard, K , Collins, R (2003) “Characteristics of Violent bars and bar patrons”, Journal of Studies on Alcohol 64 (6) pp 765-772.
The present analysis is an attempt to examine the characteristics of bars in which violence occurs while accounting for the personalities of the clientele that frequent the bar. It is proposed that an explanation of why violence occurs at certain bars requires examining the characteristics of the bars, the personalities of the clientele, and how these two types of variables act together in order to give rise to aggressive behavior. Participants' age, alcohol dependence and anger expression differentiated those who frequented violent bars from those who frequented nonviolent bars. The relationship of these individual differences to bar type was mediated by a number of characteristics of the bar itself, including noise, temperature, the presence of bouncers, the gender of the workers, the presence of billiards and illegal activities in the bar. The results indicate that individuals having certain personality characteristics are attracted to bar environments that promote antinormative behaviors such as violence. However, it seems to be the characteristics of the bars that are the strongest predictors of violence.