Exploring drug supply, associated violence and exploitation of vulnerable groups in Denmark

Excerpt

In Denmark, policymakers have often responded to public accounts of criminal exploitation of vulnerable populations by calling for harsher punishment and more repressive policies (e.g. Maach, 2016a). As illustrated in this study, however, repressive policies can inadvertently exacerbate drug market harms, as experienced criminals become more eager to shift apprehension risks downwards to those lower in the organisational hierarchy or otherwise uninvolved in drug distribution. It is therefore important that policies in this area are developed and implemented with their possible wider and non-linear consequences in mind. (pg 37)