New Vacancy - Research Fellow

Unit :  Faculty of Business and Law (FBL)
Salary :  £43,414- £51,805
Location :  Milton Keynes
Please quote reference :  20326
Fixed Term Contract for Two Years, Full Time. Hybrid working will be considered with ad-hoc travel to Milton Keynes when required.
Closing Date :  19 October, 2022 - 12:00

We are seeking to appoint a Research Fellow to join a team of academic, policing, health and service user partners to evaluate police-led drug diversion (PDD) schemes for drug-involved suspects. These schemes, which are currently in operation in Durham, Thames Valley and the West Midlands, enable police to avoid arresting and charging adults who are caught in possession of small amounts of drugs. Instead, they are assessed, then referred to education, treatment or support, if required, with an ‘out of court disposal’, which does not create a criminal record. In other countries, such schemes have been shown to reduce re-offending and to save police time and money. They also have the potential to improve health and reduce ethnic disparities in law enforcement. But, as shown by a recent landscape review of public health and policing, the UK evidence base is limited.

The role will primarily involve undertaking qualitative research as part of the process evaluation of Thames Valley Police drug diversion scheme. This will entail research visits to locations in the TVP area and possibly other parts of the UK. Fieldwork expenses for travel, accommodation and subsistence will be paid for as part of the project, in accordance with university guidance. Other tasks include: contributing to the design of the research and the research instruments; data preparation, analysis and writing up, including in conference presentations, reports and publications. There are also a wide range of administrative tasks that the successful candidate will be expected to perform such as organising field work trips, transcription work and regularly liaising with police and partner agencies.

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