Dr Rebecca Askew
Reader in Criminology
My profile
Biography
Rebecca Askew is a Reader in Criminology who researches drug use, drug markets and drug policy. She leads the Drug Policy Voices project which aims to integrate the voices and experiences of people who use drugs into debates about drug policy reform. Rebecca is a Visiting Fellow at the Drug Policy Modelling Program at the University of New South Wales in Sydney. This is a International Fellowship funded by the Leverhulme Trust, where she is working alongside Professor Alison Ritter (AO) in the development of participatory approaches in drug policy debates and processes. Rebecca’s recent work includes exploring enhancement drug use, using critical discourse studies to understand the meaning and motivation for consumption. Rebecca has led two funded grants, an ESRC New Investigator Grant from 2018-2021 (Drug Policy Voices) and British Academy small grant (2015-2017), which explored the varied meaning and motivation for drug use.
Interests and expertise
I am interested in understanding the meaning of and motivation for a variety of drug consumption. I use narrative interviewing to capture people’s lives through storytelling. I am passionate about people being able to talk about their experiences from their own perspective and have conducted many interviews with people from a variety of backgrounds. The Drug Policy Voices project continues this research by integrating the opinions and experiences of of people who use drugs into debates about drug policy reform. People with lived experience are often excluded from these debates due to stigma and marginalisation, but these are the people most affected by these policies. I ran a ten episode podcast series that is available online and am currently writing up the findings of this project and developing new approaches to drug policy participation with Professor Alison Ritter at the Drug Policy Modelling Program in Sydney.
Research specialisms
Drug Policy and reform; Participation in drug policy debates; critical discourse studies; narrative interviewing.
Other scholarly activity
- Trustee for the International Society for the Study of Drug Policy.
- Editor for International Journal of Drug Policy.
- Visiting Fellow at the Drug Policy Modelling Program, DPMP, Sydney.
Impact
You can find the Drug Policy Voices podcast series and more details about this project at www.drugpolicyvoices.co.uk
The podcast is also available via your podcast provider
Projects
Leverhulme International Fellowship (2022-2023) - Advancing Knowledge and Participation in Global Drug Policy at the Drug Policy Modelling Program, University of New South Wales (Sydney, Australia)
ESRC New Investigator Scheme (2018-2021) Drug Policy Voices
British Academy Small Grants (2015-2017) Accounting for functional drug use in adulthood: Exploring morality, legitimacy and human rights
Teaching
Why do I teach?
I engage in research-led teaching, which provides an arena to discuss emerging topics and new ideas. I believe in the co-production of knowledge and learning with all students and encourage lively discussion and debate.
Supervision
PhD supervision
- Rebecca Crook - Drug User Identity
- John Mann - Cognitive Enhancement and Neoliberalism
- Vincent Walker Bond - Cannabis Markets
- Laura Machin - Victimisation and Sexual Violence
- Amanda Seville - Hidden Homelessness
- Rebecca Matthews - Social Media based Drug Markets
Research outputs
Askew, R., Griffiths, B. & Bone, M. (2022) The importance of PEOPLE who use drugs in drug policy reform debates. Findings from the Drug Policy Voices online survey. International Journal of Drug Policy, 105, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.drugpo.2022.103711.
Askew, R & Williams, L. (2020) Rethinking enhancement substance use; A critical discourse studies approach. International Journal of Drug Policy. Volume 95,
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.drugpo.2020.102994.
Askew, R. & Bone, M. (2019). Deconstructing prohibitionist ideology: A sociocognitive approach to understand drug takers views on UK drug policy and the law. International Journal of Drug Policy, 74, 33-40. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.drugpo.2019.08.001
Askew, R., & Salinas, M. (2019). Status, stigma and stereotype: How drug takers and drug suppliers avoid negative labelling by virtue of their ‘conventional’ and ‘law-abiding’ lives. Criminology & Criminal Justice, 19(3), 311–327. https://doi.org/10.1177/1748895818762558
Aldridge, J. & Askew, R. (2017). Delivery dilemmas: How drug cryptomarket users identify and seek to reduce their risk of detection by law enforcement. International Journal of Drug Policy, 41: 101-109. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.drugpo.2016.10.010
Askew, R. (2016) ‘Functional fun: legitimising adult recreational drug use’. International Journal of Drug Policy, 36:112-119, http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.drugpo.2016.04.018
Ralphs, R., Williams, L., Askew, R. & Norton, A. (2016). Adding Spice to the Porridge: The development of a synthetic cannabinoid market in an English prison. International Journal of Drug Policy, 40, 57-69.http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.drugpo.2016.10.003
Williams, L. & Askew, R. (2016). Maturing on a high: an analysis of trends, prevalence and patterns of recreational drug use in middle and older adulthood, Chapter 26, 447-461, in Kolind, T., Thom, B. and Hunt, G. (Eds) The SAGE Handbook of Drug and Alcohol Studies. CA: Thousand Oaks.
Richardson L., Purdam K., Cotterill S., Rees J., Squires G., & Askew R. (2014). Responsible citizens and accountable service providers? Renegotiating the contract between citizen and state, Environment and Planning A ,46, 7, 1716 –1731
Askew, R., John, P. & Liu, H., (2010). Can policy makers listen to researchers? An application of the design experiment methodology to a local drugs policy intervention. Policy and Politics. 38, 4, 583-98
Askew, R., Cotterill, S. & Greasley, S (2009). Citizen’s reflections on behaviour change policies in Durose, C., Greasley, S and Richardson, E (eds) ‘Changing local governance, changing Citizens’. Bristol: Policy Press
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Chapters in books
Williams, L., Askew, R. (2016) 'Maturing on a High: An Analysis of Trends, Prevalence and Patterns of Recreational Drug Use in Middle and Older Adulthood..' In Kolind, T., Thom, B., Hunt, G. (ed.) The SAGE Handbook of Drug & Alcohol Studies Social Science Approaches. SAGE,
Askew, R., Cotterill, S., Greasley, S. (2009) 'Citizens’ reflections on behaviour change policies.' Changing Local Governance, Changing Citizens. pp. 157-174.
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Journal articles
Dertadian, G.C., Askew, R. (2024) 'Towards a social harm approach in drug policy..' The International journal on drug policy, 127
Askew, R., Ritter, A. (2023) 'When self-direction meets conformity: Surfacing Schwartz's 10 basic human values in drug policy dialogue with lived/living experience participants.' International Journal of Drug Policy, 122
Askew, R., Griffiths, B., Bone, M. (2022) 'The importance of PEOPLE who use drugs within drug policy reform debates: findings from the UK Drug Policy Voices online survey.' International Journal of Drug Policy, 105pp. 103711-103711.
Askew, R., Williams, L. (2020) 'Rethinking enhancement substance use: a critical discourse studies approach.' The International journal on drug policy, 95pp. 102994-102994.
Askew, R., Bone, M. (2019) 'Deconstructing prohibitionist ideology: A sociocognitive approach to understand opinions on UK drug policy and the law.' International Journal of Drug Policy, 74pp. 33-40.
Askew, R., Salinas-Edwards, M.A. (2018) 'Status, stigma and stereotype: How drug takers and drug suppliers avoid negative labelling by virtue of their ‘conventional’ and ‘law-abiding’ lives.' Criminology and Criminal Justice, 19(3) pp. 311-327.
Aldridge, J., Askew, R. (2017) 'Delivery dilemmas: How drug cryptomarket users identify and seek to reduce their risk of detection by law enforcement.' International Journal of Drug Policy, 41pp. 101-109.
Ralphs, R., Williams, L., Askew, R., Norton, A. (2017) 'Adding Spice to the Porridge: The development of a synthetic cannabinoid market in an English prison..' The International Journal of Drug Policy, 40pp. 57-69.
Askew, R. (2016) 'Functional fun: legitimising adult recreational drug use.' International Journal of Drug Policy, 36pp. 112-119.
Richardson, L., Purdam, K., Cotterill, S., Rees, J., Squires, G., Askew, R. (2014) 'Responsible citizens and accountable service providers? Renegotiating the contract between citizen and state.' Environment and Planning A, 46(7) pp. 1716-1731.
Askew, R., John, P., Liu, H. (2010) 'Can policy makers listen to researchers? An application of the design experiment methodology to a local drugs policy intervention.' Policy and Politics, 38(4) pp. 583-598.