Fleetwood, J. (2011) Five kilos: Penalties and practice in the international cocaine trade. British Journal of Criminology, 51 (2). pp. 375-393. ISSN 0007-0955.
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| Official URL http://dx.doi.org/10.1093/bjc/azr006 |
Abstract
Current and proposed sentence guidelines for drug-trafficking offences in the United Kingdom are underpinned by the neo-liberal 'commonsense' assumption that greater quantities will yield a greater profit, which deserves greater punishment. At present, this is achieved through the use of weight to determine the maximum sentence available (five kilos for Class A drugs). Drawing on ethnographic research with drug traffickers imprisoned in Ecuador, this paper problematizes the use of weight as a measure of seriousness. This research finds that mules often carry greater quantities than professional traffickers and that therefore sentence guidelines premised on weight will punish mules disproportionately.
| Item Type: | Article |
|---|---|
| Uncontrolled keywords: | drug mules, drug trade, neo-liberalism, sentencing guidelines |
| Subjects: | H Social Sciences |
| Divisions: | Faculties > Social Sciences > School of Social Policy Sociology and Social Research |
| Depositing User: | Andrew Buller |
| Date Deposited: | 10 Oct 2012 10:29 |
| Last Modified: | 12 Feb 2013 09:40 |
| Resource URI: | http://kar.kent.ac.uk/id/eprint/31474 (The current URI for this page, for reference purposes) |
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