Between street culture and care: young people in hybrid worlds
Young people in forensic practice navigate between street culture, digital networks and care; worlds that are increasingly intertwined. This calls for a different way of seeing and acting. Dual PhD candidate Jeffrey Jhanjan explores how professionals can better understand and support these young people.
This news item is part of a series of interviews with PhD candidates from the Dual PhD Centre.
Science and practice: the interplay
For Jhanjan, the dual PhD trajectory deepens his practical experience. He explains: ‘In forensic practice, I work daily on complex behavioural issues. The PhD trajectory enables me to connect experience with scientific insight and to further develop my professional practice.’
He recognises this complexity in the target group he works with within mental health care. He supports young people and young adults who often face multiple challenges, such as behavioural disorders, personality-related difficulties, addiction, and underdeveloped moral awareness. These issues frequently stem from unsafe or unstable upbringing environments in which significant events have occurred. Jhanjan: ‘These young people struggle with participation in society and seek recognition within their social context, on the street or in peer networks with similar experiences.’
The interplay between science and practice helps him to better interpret these dynamics.
‘Together with researchers and fellow professionals, I critically examine dominant assumptions about youth offending. Not to dismiss them, but to contextualise, substantiate and refine them.’
At the same time, he collaborates with practitioners on interventions that go beyond theory. ‘By actively involving young people as experts in their own lived experience, we develop interventions that genuinely reflect their reality.’ Within Fivoor, there is explicit scope to connect research, education and practice.
Understanding violence requires a shift in perspective
One of the key insights from his research is that violence cannot always be understood through the conventional normative frameworks used by professionals. These frameworks tend to assume individual and rational decision-making, whereas behaviour for young people often derives meaning from group norms, reputation and social pressure. ‘Violence is often labelled as senseless, but in certain contexts young people may experience it as functional or meaningful. It forms part of the social scripts within their world.’
This dynamic becomes visible in forms of rival group behaviour, where groups of young people seek each other out in public spaces and confrontations may escalate into serious violence. ‘Without insight into the underlying social logic, such behaviour remains difficult to comprehend,’ Jhanjan notes. A shift in perspective is therefore essential. Not to legitimise violence, but to understand it as a basis for effective intervention.
Digital: an extension of conflict
Violence and conflict do not take place solely in physical spaces. Online and offline worlds are closely intertwined. Conflicts may develop further through social media, intensify, and resurface. Ocasionally, this happens even weeks after the initial incident occured. Jhanjan: ‘Online dynamics function as an extension of street conflicts. What begins offline can be amplified online and escalate again.’
Traditional offences are also increasingly taking on a hybrid character. Young people are approached online for criminal activities, ranging from drug trafficking and fraud to supporting roles. At the same time, digital platforms lower the threshold for becoming involved themselves.
‘In this context, the boundary between perpetrator and victim becomes blurred. Vulnerable young people are lured, misled or pressured online into committing offences, while also actively participating in these networks,’ Jhanjan adds.
He therefore urges professionals to broaden their perspective:
‘We need to understand this digital dimension. Only then can we act effectively.’
Hybrid living environments as a starting point
A defining feature of Jhanjan’s work is its focus on hybrid environments: the interplay between street culture, online dynamics and institutional frameworks. In practice, these worlds are deeply intertwined, yet in policy and interventions they are still often approached as separate domains. Jhanjan: ‘The challenge is not to view these realities in isolation, but to understand them in relation to one another. Only then can we develop interventions that truly make a difference.’ This approach requires close interdisciplinary collaboration. As part of his programme, Jhanjan actively shares his insights with forensic psychologists, psychiatrists, nurses and youth professionals, among others.
Balance and motivation in an intensive programme
Combining work, research and private life requires clear choices and careful coordination. ‘It is encouraging that both my employer and the Dual PhD Centre recognise the societal value of this research and actively support it,’ Jhanjan says. Alongside his professional and academic commitments, he is also a father, which further underscores the importance of maintaining balance. At the same time, he regards the programme as a valuable opportunity for development. Jhanjan adds: ‘It is intensive, but above all enriching. For professionals with strong intrinsic motivation, it is a highly worthwhile experience.’
Linking practice and academia
The dual PhD programme enables Jhanjan to connect practice and research. His work focuses on interventions that are both empirically grounded and aligned with young people’s lived experiences. In doing so, he contributes to a more nuanced understanding of youth crime and to practical approaches for professionals in complex, hybrid environments.