Three enactments of drugs in Danish prison drug treatment: Illegal drugs, medicine and constrainers

TY - JOUR

T1 - Three enactments of drugs in Danish prison drug treatment: Illegal drugs, medicine and constrainers

AU - Kolind, Torsten

AU - Holm, Karina

AU - Duff, Cameron

AU - Frank, Vibeke Asmussen

PY - 2016/3/3

Y1 - 2016/3/3

N2 - Abstract: Drugs are an increasingly salient concern in many European prisons. Drug policies are made, drugs are controlled, used and prescribed and drug use is treated and sanctioned. In light of the growing significance of drugs in prison life, we analyse the different ways of drugs that are enacted in Danish drug treatment programmes, based on insights derived from Science and Technology Studies. We ground our analysis with data from two qualitative research projects conducted between 2007 and 2010 and between 2011 and 2014. In all, eight prisons were involved in the two studies. Our analysis reveals three distinctive drug enactments characterised by rather different practises, discourses and narratives: drugs as illegal substances, as medicine and as constrainers. Furthermore, we examine how policy makers, prison officers, health personnel, counsellors and prisoners contribute to the construction and organisation of these three enactments, along with the practical and discursive domains in which this work takes place. We conclude by assessing some of the implications of these different enactments of drugs for prisoners’ subjectivities.

AB - Abstract: Drugs are an increasingly salient concern in many European prisons. Drug policies are made, drugs are controlled, used and prescribed and drug use is treated and sanctioned. In light of the growing significance of drugs in prison life, we analyse the different ways of drugs that are enacted in Danish drug treatment programmes, based on insights derived from Science and Technology Studies. We ground our analysis with data from two qualitative research projects conducted between 2007 and 2010 and between 2011 and 2014. In all, eight prisons were involved in the two studies. Our analysis reveals three distinctive drug enactments characterised by rather different practises, discourses and narratives: drugs as illegal substances, as medicine and as constrainers. Furthermore, we examine how policy makers, prison officers, health personnel, counsellors and prisoners contribute to the construction and organisation of these three enactments, along with the practical and discursive domains in which this work takes place. We conclude by assessing some of the implications of these different enactments of drugs for prisoners’ subjectivities.

KW - Criminal justice

KW - drugs

KW - qualitative research

KW - substance use

KW - treatment

UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=84948763400&partnerID=8YFLogxK

U2 - 10.3109/09687637.2015.1109608

DO - 10.3109/09687637.2015.1109608

M3 - Journal article

SN - 0968-7637

VL - 23

SP - 135

EP - 143

JO - Drugs: Education, Prevention and Policy

JF - Drugs: Education, Prevention and Policy

IS - 2

ER -