Intra-Group Regulation of Violence: Bystanders and the 'De'-Escalation of Violence

Abstract

Theories of violence have traditionally predicted that bystanders are less likely to intervene when in the presence of others than when alone. We re-examine this prediction using data from 42 episodes of public violence in "night-time economy" spaces in the United Kingdom, as captured on CCTV cameras. The behaviors of protagonists and bystanders were coded as either escalating or de-escalating acts, and the resulting interaction sequences were examined using state-transition diagrams. Analyses revealed that bystanders play a key role in shaping the trajectory of violence. They contributed more de-escalating than escalating behaviors; and their de-escalating behavior became more rather than less prevalent with more bystanders. This appeared to result from two dynamics: i) bystander interventions usually begin with a de-escalating act towards the target rather than the instigator; and ii) the third bystander act in the sequence was most likely to determine the trajectory of the violence. We conclude with some speculations about the intra-group regulation of violence, and highlight bystanders as an important resource for developing violence reduction initiatives.