Health & Justice Responses 

A Reading List on Responding to Drug-Related Offending through Science-Based Policy and Practice

Reading List

As justice systems increasingly shift their focus from punishment to rehabilitation, it becomes essential to understand the complex relationship between substance use, criminal behaviour, and treatment, particularly among individuals whose involvement with the system stems from substance use.

Child Criminal Exploitation and the Interactional Emergence of Victim Status

Scientific article

22 February 2024

This article draws on observations and interviews with youth justice practitioners and young people involved in county lines drug dealing to explore the processes by which young people are identified as victims of child criminal...

Addressing the recruitment of young people into criminal drugs networks

Report

17 June 2026

This report examines how and why young people are recruited into criminal drug networks across Europe. It highlights the range of factors that can increase vulnerability to recruitment, including social and economic disadvantage, peer...

Faith-Based Interventions for Reducing Gang Violence in the Caribbean: Reflections from a Professor and a Priest

Book

1 January 2015

This book chapter explores the role of faith-based interventions in preventing and reducing gang violence in Trinidad and Tobago. Drawing on the experiences of a criminologist and a religious leader, it argues that gang violence should be...

Religiosity and crime: Evidence from a city-wide shock

Scientific article

1 April 2025

This study examines the relationship between religiosity and crime using data from the 2015 visit of Pope Francis to Philadelphia. By analysing daily crime reports before, during, and after the visit, the researchers found a significant...

The Role of Law Enforcement in the Reduction of Substance Use and Other Behavioral Health Risks: Substance Use as a Focus: United States as an Example

Scientific article

1 May 2025

This paper explores how law enforcement can contribute to the prevention of substance use and other behavioural health risks beyond their traditional enforcement role. Using the United States as an example, it argues that police and other...

A Whole Person Approach: Adding Addiction Medicine Services to a Drug Treatment Court Program

29 June 2026

Online

This session explores how a successful partnership was formed between addiction medicine providers and a drug treatment court. Presenters will explain how the collaboration began, how it is funded, and how it has been maintained.

2026 National Drug Control Strategy - The White House

Guide

4 May 2026

The 2026 National Drug Control Strategy outlines a comprehensive roadmap to reduce illicit drug use and protect communities across the United States. It prioritizes stopping the flow of drugs and precursor chemicals at all borders through...

Global Organized Crime Index 2025 - Europe Overview

Report

25 February 2026

The 2025 Global Organized Crime Index shows that overall crime levels in Europe remain stable, and the region continues to rank among the least affected globally. However, this stability hides a more complex reality, with criminal markets...

Policy Brief: Scam Centres – Combating a Global Phenomenon

Report

15 April 2026

Short Summary Scam centres are a fast-growing global organized crime threat, generating over $1 trillion in losses in 2024. They use technology and psychological manipulation to target victims worldwide, supported by global criminal...