Risk, Security and The 'Criminalization' of British Drug Policy

Officers and Drug Counsellors: New Occupational Identities in Nordic Prisons

“…First, seen from a drug treatment perspective, we will argue that the growth in PDT reflects a broader criminalization of social problems (Seddon, Williams and Ralphs 2012), characterized by welfare services increasingly becoming part of the control and penal system. That is, drug treatment is framed within a disciplining prison context and takes on some of the prison attitude (see: XXXX 2013).…”

“…Prison drug treatment (PDT) has been introduced in many European prisons, including the Nordic prisons over the last two decades (XXXX 2010;Seddon, Williams and Ralphs 2012). The programs are being implemented as a response to increasing drug use among the prison population and the consequent health problems (EMCDDA 2012).…”

“…The programs are being implemented as a response to increasing drug use among the prison population and the consequent health problems (EMCDDA 2012). The growth of PDT also relates to the fact that policy actors are increasingly being pressured to show resolve on solving the drug abuse and crime problems of society, and in this regard PDT, can be promoted as a way to simultaneously 'fight drugs' and at the same time to show concern about the inmate (see also : Seddon, Williams and Ralphs 2012;XXXX 2013). The increase of PDT may slowly begin to change the prison, not only in the way it is represented in political discourse, but also from the bottom up, as prison officers and drug treatment counsellors are given new occupational responsibilities.…”

Mixing drink and drugs: ‘Underclass’ politics, the recovery agenda and the partial convergence of English alcohol and drugs policy

“…Particularly, there are now a myriad of ways in which conditions can be applied to problematic alcohol or drug users when they are processed by the criminal-justice system. Indeed, several New Labour reforms have been said to represent the "criminalisation" of UK drugs policy whereby policy and practice, particularly around treatment, was less about providing welfare to the drug user and more about reducing the prevalence of drugrelated crime (Duke, 2006;Seddon et al, 2008). Using legislation, emphasis was placed on fusing the treatment and enforcement strands of drug policy.…”

Maintaining order in the drug game: applying harm reduction principles to drug detective work

“…In 2006, an extension of the more coercive elements within DIP was launched under the title 'Tough Choices'. This consisted of a set of measures contained in the Drugs Act 2005: 'Test on Arrest', 'Required Assessment', and 'Restrictions on Bail' (Seddon et al, 2012).…”