Bibliography: Interventions – Law Enforcement

Action to protect young people from the dangers of so-called ‘legal highs’ and target those who profit from their trade was announced by the UK government (Home Office)

To make provision about psychoactive substances; and for connected purposes (Parliament UK)

See pages 72-74 of the notes for information on NPS. The legislation aims to “Protect hard-working citizens from the risks posted by untested, unknown and potential harmful drugs and create a blanket ban which would prohibit and disrupt the production, distribution, sale and supply of new psychoactive substances (NPS) in the UK (Cabinet Office, UK)

Women across the Americas are being incarcerated for minor, non-violent, drug-related crimes at an alarming rate. In Argentina, Brazil, and Costa Rica, well over 60 percent of each country’s female prison population is incarcerated for drug-related crimes; in Ecuador, that number tops 80 percent (IDPC)

It sought to assess the impact of introducing a pilot of drug testing on arrest and required (initial and follow-up) assessments within one of HCC’s police custody suites (ICPR)

The Illicit Drug Data Report 2013–14 provides governments, law enforcement agencies, policy makers, academia, interested stakeholders and the community with a robust statistical picture of the Australian illicit drug market (Australian Crime Commission)

In the public mind, the “war on drugs” probably conjures up a male image. In most countries, official statistics would show that men, indeed, are the majority of people who use drugs recreationally, who have problematic use, and who sell drugs. But punitive drug laws and policies pose a heavy burden on women and, in turn, on the children for whom women are often the principal caregivers (Open Society Foundations)

This research and policy briefing reminds us of a few key findings from RAPt’s research and experience (RAPT)

This research and policy briefing describes the worrying extent of mental health problems amongst prisoners, and the close correlation between mental health conditions such as depression and post traumatic stress disorders, and substance misuse (RAPT)

This research and policy briefing explains why reducing the rates of re-offending amongst those struggling with drug and alcohol dependencies is a crucial factor in any strategy to reduce overall crime rates (RAPT)

This paper offers an overview of the gender dimension of the war on drugs and the burdens that ill-conceived policies and inadequate programs place on women and girls (Open Society Foundations)

This report focuses on the seven Merseyside custody suites which carried out drug tests between April 2013 and March 2014, the demographic details captured during the drug testing process and the times at which drug tests were carried out (Centre for Public Health)

Past-year data in England and Wales shows a drop off in drug policing. But, with figures still well above where they were a decade ago, and an abundance of evidence showing that policing possession has little impact on use rates, why is the government still funneling resources into this futile practice? (Talking Drugs)

This paper explores the interplay between the human rights and drug control frameworks and critiques case law on medicinal cannabis use to demonstrate that a bona fide human rights perspective allows for a broader conception of ‘health’ (Critical Public Health)

The police recorded 178,719 drug offences in the year ending December 2014, a decrease of 11% compared with the previous year (ONS)

The program, launched in 2011 as the first of its kind in the country, allows law enforcement officers to direct people charged with low-level drug or sex work offenses into community-based services instead of prosecution and jail (Open Society Foundations)

Drugs and imprisonment (Penal Reform International)

This paper discusses recent changes to sentencing in England and Wales, which aim to recognise drug couriers as a distinct category, and so attribute lesser, more proportionate punishment (IDPC)

The contradictions and reversals involved in the reclassification of cannabis, it is argued, can be readily understood in terms of the broader politics of crime and control and the ‘structured ambivalence’ of state responses (Drug Policy)

Drug using prisoners are suffering from physical and mental health conditions and their chances of rehabilitation are slim. Society is suffering through addicted prisoners committing crime to fund their habits on release. One of the chief purposes of prison is to reduce crime. In this regard they are clearly failing (Centre for Social Justice)