Toby Seddon
University College London, Social Science, Faculty Member
- The University of Manchester, Law, Faculty Memberadd
This chapter builds on previous work by the authors which characterized and analysed the significance of radical precaution in the processes of securing ‘protection’ for citizens against dangerous violent and sexual offenders in countries... more
This chapter builds on previous work by the authors which characterized and analysed the significance of radical precaution in the processes of securing ‘protection’ for citizens against dangerous violent and sexual offenders in countries like the UK and USA. Precautionary logic, in particular, is transforming the meanings of, and relations between, allegations, truth-finding and justice, badged under ‘public protection’. Using this approach, our theme here is to contextualize the underpinnings of this broader cultural imperative through analysis of particular legal and policy developments, including development of ‘counter-law’ and surveillant assemblages against perceived dangers of sexual crime. We also illustrate how ‘risk’ itself is reconstituted in the politics of science and (un)certainty, with practical impacts on decision-making by professionals and apparent attempts at responsibilisation of the wider public. The chapter thus presents an analysis on how the politics of risk and danger play out in identification, detection and pre-emption of sexual crime.
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Research Interests: History, Sociology, Criminology, Sociology Of Deviance, Psychology, and 10 moreAddiction, Drugs And Addiction, Sociology of Crime and Deviance, Michel Foucault, History of Alcohol and Drug Use, Hacker, Ian Hacking, History of Narcotics and Drugs, Public health systems and services research, and Addiction Theory
1. Introduction: Drugs, Crime and Criminal Justice 2. Risk, Security and the Criminal Justice Turn 3. The Politics of Drug Policy-Making 4. Police Custody: A Risk Filtering Machine 5. Criminal Courts: A Risk Management System 6. Drugs... more
1. Introduction: Drugs, Crime and Criminal Justice 2. Risk, Security and the Criminal Justice Turn 3. The Politics of Drug Policy-Making 4. Police Custody: A Risk Filtering Machine 5. Criminal Courts: A Risk Management System 6. Drugs Work / Knowledge Work 7. The Impact of the Criminal Justice Turn 8. Conclusions: Reimagining Risk and Security
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Purpose The purpose of this paper is to re-appraise the Misuse of Drugs Act 1971 in order to develop alternative and new ideas for drug law reform. Design/methodology/approach The approach is to analyse the Act from historical and... more
Purpose The purpose of this paper is to re-appraise the Misuse of Drugs Act 1971 in order to develop alternative and new ideas for drug law reform. Design/methodology/approach The approach is to analyse the Act from historical and socio-legal perspectives, drawing on the inter-disciplinary field of regulation studies. Findings The Act has its roots in radical counter-cultural reform activism in the 1960s. Its innovative legal structure has enabled a diverse range of policy approaches to be possible over the last 50 years. Future drug law reform efforts need to broaden out from a narrow focus on law and also to engage more seriously with the politics of drug law and policy. Originality/value Drawing on the inter-disciplinary field of regulation studies leads to novel insights about the politics and practice of drug law reform.
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A striking phenomenon in many western countries is the increasing use of the criminal justice system as a means of channelling and coercing drug users into treatment. Despite somewhat equivocal research evidence about its effectiveness,... more
A striking phenomenon in many western countries is the increasing use of the criminal justice system as a means of channelling and coercing drug users into treatment. Despite somewhat equivocal research evidence about its effectiveness, this approach has continued to expand, including in Britain. This article takes a step back and explores some of the critical background issues that have been largely overlooked to date. Some conceptual, ethical and criminological aspects of coerced treatment in the criminal justice system are considered. It is argued that coerced treatment is a central issue for both contemporary criminology and criminal justice policy.
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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... more
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'. This broad conception, encompassing both medicalised and social constructionist definitions, can inform public health policies relating to medicinal cannabis use. The paper also demonstrates how a human rights lens can alleviate a core tension between the State and the individual within the drug policy field. The leading medicinal cannabis case in the UK highlights the judiciary's failure to engage with an individual's human right to health as they adopt an arbitrary, externalist view, focussing on the legality of cannabis to the exclusion of other concerns. Drawing on some international comparisons, the paper considers how a human rights perspective can lead to an approach to medicinal cannabis use which facilitates a holistic under...
Research Interests: Law, Criminal Law, Humanities, Health Promotion, Human Rights Law, and 15 moreDrugs And Addiction, International Law, Human Rights, International Human Rights Law, Drugs and drug culture, Health, European Convention of Human Rights, Public Health, Drug Policy, Drugs, Critical Public Health, Cannabis, Law Cases, Medical Cannabis, and Routledge
Taking Kohn's classic book Dope Girls as its starting point, this paper explores the particular place of women and gender issues in the emergence of the 'British System' of drug control in the early twentieth century. The... more
Taking Kohn's classic book Dope Girls as its starting point, this paper explores the particular place of women and gender issues in the emergence of the 'British System' of drug control in the early twentieth century. The 'British System' refers to the approach put in place in the 1920s in Britain, notably by the 1926 Rolleston Report. In essence, it involved the medically based prescription of opiates to addicts, often on a long-term basis. It is viewed by many as one of the beginnings of the general principle of harm reduction within drug policy. This paper will examine how female figures - chorus girls, actresses, night club girls, prostitutes - were central to British drugs discourse in the 1920s, with the representation of some individual women in particular, most famously the actress Billie Carleton, featuring very prominently. It will be argued that this gendering of drugs discourse can be best understood in the wider context of social change, namely the t...
Research Interests: History, Social Change, Gender Studies, Drugs And Addiction, Gender, and 14 moreHarm Reduction, Social Welfare, Drug Policy, History of Narcotics and Drugs, Humans, Female, History of Gender, Social Conditions, Great Britain, Sex Factors, Narcotics, Substance-Related Disorders, Psychology and Cognitive Sciences, and Medical and Health Sciences
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PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to review the literature on the connections between illegal drugs and the informal economy and consider this in the light of the increasing levels of global interconnectedness in recent... more
PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to review the literature on the connections between illegal drugs and the informal economy and consider this in the light of the increasing levels of global interconnectedness in recent decades.Design/methodology/approachThis is a review of the empirical drugs literature with a primary focus on British‐based research and analysis of the impact of different aspects of globalization.FindingsPatterns of heroin and crack‐cocaine use need to be understood in their social, economic and cultural context, particularly in relation to their location in the informal economy. Globalizing processes have profoundly shaped local drug problems over the last 30 years.Practical implicationsThe governance of the drug problem needs to be reframed to take account of its social economic nature and global character. New ways of thinking are required to advance future research and policy.Originality/valueThe focus on the impact of globalizing processes is original and le...
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After a century of international drug prohibition, and amidst growing consensus that it has been a costly policy failure, arguments for drug law reform are gathering momentum globally. Despite a large body of empirically oriented policy... more
After a century of international drug prohibition, and amidst growing consensus that it has been a costly policy failure, arguments for drug law reform are gathering momentum globally. Despite a large body of empirically oriented policy research, the area remains underdeveloped conceptually and theoretically. This article seeks to address this gap by assembling some intellectual resources for a critical socio-legal analysis of drug law reform, drawing on insights from regulation studies, economics, political economy and economic sociology. Reframing the problem as one of market regulation, and using Shearing’s constitutive approach, opens up some new ways of thinking about how drug laws function and the possibilities for reform. It also highlights the importance of taking normative thinking about drug policy futures seriously. In conclusion, it is suggested that a new concept of exchangespace may be key to further theoretical development in this field.
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The increasing emphasis on the drugcrime link in British drug policy in recent years has had a knock-on effect on British drugs research. Research is now taking place more and more within the criminal justice system, rather than... more
The increasing emphasis on the drugcrime link in British drug policy in recent years has had a knock-on effect on British drugs research. Research is now taking place more and more within the criminal justice system, rather than exclusively in the traditional sites of the community ...
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The belief that drug addiction is the motor behind much property crime has been a key part of recent UK drug policy. Review of the literature shows that the empirical evidence does not support this view. It also demonstrates that the... more
The belief that drug addiction is the motor behind much property crime has been a key part of recent UK drug policy. Review of the literature shows that the empirical evidence does not support this view. It also demonstrates that the fundamental weakness of existing research is its failure to address the question of causality properly, relying mainly on uni-directional mechanistic ‘cause-and-effect’ models. It is suggested that the drug–crime link needs to be conceived in the context of the interaction and inter-relation of a range of factors operating at different levels and as part of a set of complex processes. The implications for policy are that a reliance on improving access to treatment is likely to be of limited effectiveness in reducing drug-related crime and that an emphasis on tackling social exclusion may be more fruitful. Future research needs to explore further the notion of causality outlined in this paper. It must also examine emerging patterns of polydrug use and lo...
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Chimie 2° année MP, MP*, PT, PT* (Coll. Référence Prépas, 2° Éd.) Chaque ouvrage de la nouvelle édition de la collection Référence Prépas comprend deux parties distinctes : Un espace Cours , avec un cours complet, clair et abondamment... more
Chimie 2° année MP, MP*, PT, PT* (Coll. Référence Prépas, 2° Éd.) Chaque ouvrage de la nouvelle édition de la collection Référence Prépas comprend deux parties distinctes : Un espace Cours , avec un cours complet, clair et abondamment illustré, pour acquérir les connaissances ...
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Purpose This extended review of Stimson and Oppenheimer’s classic book Heroin Addiction aims to highlight its contribution to the literature and consider its contemporary relevance for research, policy and practice.... more
Purpose This extended review of Stimson and Oppenheimer’s classic book Heroin Addiction aims to highlight its contribution to the literature and consider its contemporary relevance for research, policy and practice. Design/methodology/approach The review examines the core themes of the longitudinal study that the book presents by bringing it in to dialogue with a recent “living history” project on John Marks’ radical heroin prescribing in the 1980s and 1990s. Findings The three core themes explored are treatment as containment; the balance between therapy and social control; and the benefits of heroin versus methadone. Originality/value The book is a “timeless classic” that still resonates with contemporary concerns and has much to tell us about heroin addiction and its treatment.
In the late 1960s, the cause of cannabis law reform briefly rose to remarkable cultural prominence in several Western countries, notably the United Kingdom and the United States. Some 50 years later, as global cannabis prohibition is once... more
In the late 1960s, the cause of cannabis law reform briefly rose to remarkable cultural prominence in several Western countries, notably the United Kingdom and the United States. Some 50 years later, as global cannabis prohibition is once again coming under intense critical scrutiny in many parts of the world, this paper revisits the events of the 1960s. Drawing on primary archival research, the paper recovers the story of the rapid emergence and development of the reform movement. The importance to reform discourse of ideas of personal freedom and civil liberties is explored and set in the context of wider shifts in liberal governance. In conclusion, it is argued that the challenge of cannabis regulation today needs to be understood in the context of contemporary regulatory capitalism.
Research Interests: Criminology and Law
A recent Cochrane review of randomised trials identified a lack of evidence for interventions provided to drug-using offenders. We use routine data to address whether contact with treatment services reduces heroin users' likelihood of... more
A recent Cochrane review of randomised trials identified a lack of evidence for interventions provided to drug-using offenders. We use routine data to address whether contact with treatment services reduces heroin users' likelihood of a future acquisitive offence or drug-related poisoning (DRP) death. Heroin-users were identified from probation assessments and linked to drug-treatment, mortality and offending records. The study cohort was selected to ensure that the subject was not: in prison, in treatment or had recently left treatment. Subjects were classed as initiators if they attended a triage appointment within two weeks of their assessment; non-initiators otherwise. Initiator and non-initiators were compared over a maximum of one year, with respect to their risk of recorded acquisitive offence or DRP-death. Balance was sought using propensity score matching and missing data were accounted for using multiple imputation. Nine percent of assessments identified for analysis w...
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The issue of illicit drugs is one of the most difficult and intractable problems we face today. It spans across the globe and is connected with a range of serious issues, including public health, crime, security, inequalities, and... more
The issue of illicit drugs is one of the most difficult and intractable problems we face today. It spans across the globe and is connected with a range of serious issues, including public health, crime, security, inequalities, and development. This chapter explores three key dimensions of the drug problem, in order to provide a critical account, informed by history and theory. First, the human attraction to intoxicating substances is examined and patterns of consumption are described. Second, understandings of why some people develop problems from habitual consumption are examined, exploring in particular the concept of addiction. Third, it explores the different ways in which societies have attempted to help people experiencing drug-related problems through different methods and modes of drug treatment.
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Theorists such as Ewald and Ericson, in their respective writings, argue that, increasingly, governmental responses to incalculable, but high-consequence, threats to life and security are framed by what has been described as... more
Theorists such as Ewald and Ericson, in their respective writings, argue that, increasingly, governmental responses to incalculable, but high-consequence, threats to life and security are framed by what has been described as 'precautionary logic'. Neither theorist sought to analyse and ...
Research Interests: Criminology and Law
This paper describes and analyses three schemes initiated in magistrates' courts in England and Wales in which information about drugs and drug services is offered to court attenders (either by specialist workers or as... more
This paper describes and analyses three schemes initiated in magistrates' courts in England and Wales in which information about drugs and drug services is offered to court attenders (either by specialist workers or as part of a generic welfare information service) together ...
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One of the challenges for drug treatment services is how to engage drug users effectively. This commentary examines one particular strategy for enhancing engagement that appears to have spread quite rapidly in recent years: the use of... more
One of the challenges for drug treatment services is how to engage drug users effectively. This commentary examines one particular strategy for enhancing engagement that appears to have spread quite rapidly in recent years: the use of contract-like written agreements between treatment service providers and users. The development of the contractual governance of drug users in treatment is located in the wider context of emerging social control strategies and practices. In particular, insights are drawn from the socio-legal literature which has begun to examine these new control practices in diverse domains. The commentary also reports on the findings of a national survey of all 149 local authority areas in England that was designed to provide a preliminary mapping of the extent of contractual governance in treatment settings (response rate=62%). In spite of the fact that the use of contracts between drug services and service users does not feature in the national drug policy framewor...
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... (2010). A History of Drugs: Drugs and Freedom in the Liberal Age. Abingdon, UK: Routledge.Shaffer, D.(2006). Reconsidering Drug Court Effectiveness: A Meta-Analytic Review. Las Vegas, NV: University of Nevada. Stevens, A., Berto, D.,... more
... (2010). A History of Drugs: Drugs and Freedom in the Liberal Age. Abingdon, UK: Routledge.Shaffer, D.(2006). Reconsidering Drug Court Effectiveness: A Meta-Analytic Review. Las Vegas, NV: University of Nevada. Stevens, A., Berto, D., Heckmann, W., et al.(2005). ...
Research Interests: Criminology, Criminal Law, Criminal Justice, Development Studies, Dispute Resolution, and 15 moreCorruption, Entitlement, Approach, Balance, Black, Complementarity, Corporate, Definitions, Criteria, Coercion, Cost Benefit Analysis, Deterrence Theory, Development Process, Critical Approach, and Due Process Model
Research Interests: History, Criminology, Criminal Law, Human Rights, Regulation, and 5 moreBlack, Inspections, Criteria, Regulatory, and Inspection
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In July 1999, radical and controversial proposals were put forward by the UK government for a new approach to the management of dangerous individuals with severe personality disorders. The Dangerous and Severe Personality Disorder (DSPD)... more
In July 1999, radical and controversial proposals were put forward by the UK government for a new approach to the management of dangerous individuals with severe personality disorders. The Dangerous and Severe Personality Disorder (DSPD) programme involved service development and research but its most contentious part was the proposal for new legislation to provide civil and criminal powers for the detention of DSPD individuals in new specialist high-secure units. The programme has been viewed by many commentators as evidence that concerns about risk have become the over-riding driver of contemporary mental health and penal policy and it has been described as a `psychiatric manifestation of the risk society'. In this article, it is argued that while the DSPD initiative does indeed embody the ascendance of `risk thinking' in recent years, the idea of risk needs to be broadened out and understood as a complex, multi-faceted and mobile formation. Crucially, it needs to be viewe...
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Heroin, a derivative of opium, was first created in 1874 and was marketed in 1898 as a cough medicine by a German pharmaceutical company. In Britain, the dispensing of heroin was initially restricted to pharmacists under the general... more
Heroin, a derivative of opium, was first created in 1874 and was marketed in 1898 as a cough medicine by a German pharmaceutical company. In Britain, the dispensing of heroin was initially restricted to pharmacists under the general pharmacy and poisons legislation. Just 22 ...
Research Interests: Social Change and Law
Drug prevention in prisons is an under-developed area. This small-scale exploratory study investigates the drug information needs of young male prisoners. Five focus groups and sixteen face-to-face interviews were carried out with male... more
Drug prevention in prisons is an under-developed area. This small-scale exploratory study investigates the drug information needs of young male prisoners. Five focus groups and sixteen face-to-face interviews were carried out with male inmates across four different Young Offender Institutions in England and wales. The findings suggest that in this context drug information should be targeted at prisoners known or suspected to have drug problems rather than at the general prison population. Information should focus on harm reduction and provide contact details for helping services. Further research is urgently needed to build the evidence base in this area.
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Angie Heal, a Senior Research Officer at Nacro at the time of the research, carried out most of the fieldwork for these two projects and conducted the initial project-level analysis. Ruth Francis did some of the interviews with young... more
Angie Heal, a Senior Research Officer at Nacro at the time of the research, carried out most of the fieldwork for these two projects and conducted the initial project-level analysis. Ruth Francis did some of the interviews with young people and also provided administrative support. ...
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Purpose The purpose of this paper is to review the research evidence on recent British trends in the use of heroin and/or crack-cocaine by young people in order to appraise the scale and nature of the contemporary health problem they... more
Purpose The purpose of this paper is to review the research evidence on recent British trends in the use of heroin and/or crack-cocaine by young people in order to appraise the scale and nature of the contemporary health problem they pose. ... Design/methodology/approach ...
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Health and health care problems can be addressed from multiple disciplinary perspectives. This raises challenges for how to do cross-disciplinary scholarship in ways that are still robust, rigorous and coherent. This paper sets out one... more
Health and health care problems can be addressed from multiple disciplinary perspectives. This raises challenges for how to do cross-disciplinary scholarship in ways that are still robust, rigorous and coherent. This paper sets out one particular approach to cross-cutting research--regulation--which has proved extremely fertile for scholars working in diverse fields, from coal mine safety to tax compliance. The first part of the paper considers how regulatory ideas might be applied to health and health care research in general. The second part goes on to sketch out how a regulation perspective on one specific area, illicit drug policy, can open up new directions for research. In conclusion, a future research agenda is outlined for regulatory scholarship on health and health care.
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Not long after this issue of cjm appears the voters of the United Kingdom will elect a new government. We do not know, at the time of writing, the colour or composition of the new administration, though everyone has their hunches,... more
Not long after this issue of cjm appears the voters of the United Kingdom will elect a new government. We do not know, at the time of writing, the colour or composition of the new administration, though everyone has their hunches, suspicions, and predictions.