Drugs and Crime

Tammy Ayres is an associate professor of criminology in the School of Criminology, Sociology and Social Policy at the University of Leicester. She is an interdisciplinary scholar working in the area of drugs, consumerism, prisons and terrorism, which is reflected in her research as well as her publications. Writing on drug policy, drug use and the intersection of drugs, pleasure and consumer capitalism, she uses critical theory and continental philosophy in an attempt to proffer new ways of theorising about drugs in contemporary society, as well as in prisons. An accomplished prison researcher, she has over 23-years' experience of undertaking criminal justice research with vulnerable populations, particularly problematic drug users, prisoners, people with mental ill-health and trauma both here in the UK and in Guyana. She has been contracted to lead research consultancies for HMPPS, the Ministry of Justice, the NHS/PHE, the Home Office and the Police Crime Commissioner. This research has helped to shape policy-making and professional practice both at a local and national level.

Dr Stuart Taylor is Staff Tutor in Social Policy and Criminology at the Open University. He has spent the last 25 years working in the criminal justice/criminological trenches, initially as a practitioner with Derbyshire and Merseyside Probation Services, and latterly as an academic at both Liverpool John Moores University and the Open University. His primary interests lie in the field of substance use and the interconnections between sociocultural construction of 'drugs', prohibitionist drug policies and social harm. Previous research projects have included studies on cannabis use and cultivation, and the employment of self-testing drug checking technologies among ecstasy users. Stuart has published widely on issues of drugs and drug policy, acted as Academic Consultant on the BBCs Drugs Map of Britain series, and contributed articles, talks and podcasts for organisations and projects such as Talking Drugs, Drug Policy Voices, Volteface, People and Dancefloors and The Conversation.