Dr Lisa Williams

In 2007, Lisa completed her ESRC funded PhD research which was based upon the North West England Longitudinal Study (NWELS) at the University of Manchester.  Her research investigated patterns of recreational drug use across the life course. The aim of her research was to explain why and how some people decide to take drugs and continue to take them, others desist and others remain abstinent over time. She has used a multi-disciplinary approach to explain onset, continuity, change, desistance and abstinence. At the beginning of the NWELS, the sample were aged 14.  Further quantitative and qualitative data has been collected by Lisa from the sample when they were aged 28. The collection of further qualitative data by Lisa has created a longitudinal qualitative dataset.  

In 1996, Lisa graduated from Sheffield Hallam University with a Social and Cultural Studies degree. She completed a Masters in Criminology at Keele University in 1997. Prior to undertaking her PhD research, Lisa worked as a Research Fellow at SPARC, Department of Applied Social Science, University of Manchester.  Her work there focused upon both recreational and dependent drug use.  Lisa also has extensive teaching experience within the field of criminology and has been employed part-time as a Lecturer and Teaching Assistant in the School of Law and an Associate Lecturer in the Department of Sociology, Manchester Metropolitan University.

Currently, Lisa is employed as a part-time Research Associate in the School of Law for an ESRC funded research project exploring the development, operation and impact of the Drugs Intervention Programme and concepts of risk in policy and practice in relation to drug offenders. She is also currently employed part-time as a Teaching Fellow in the School of Law and is joint Course Director for Drugs and Society. Lisa is also a member of the Regulation, Security and Justice Research Centre within the School of Law.

Drug use, life course criminology and risk.

Part-time Research Associate for the ESRC funded project ‘Governing drug-related crime in the risk society’.

Lisa is currently joint Course Director for Drugs and Society (LAWS 30602).  She is also the seminar leader for Using Social Research Methods (LAWS 20441) and Data Analysis (LAWS 20452)

She has previously been employed as a Teaching Assistant within the School of Law and at the Department of Sociology, Manchester Metropolitan University delivering a range of criminology related seminars and lectures since 1999.

Publications Database

2008 (with T. Seddon and R. Ralphs) 'Risk, Security and the 'Criminalization' of British Drug Policy', British Journal of Criminology, 48: 818-834 .

2008 (with R. Ralphs and T. Seddon) 'Missing Link', Druglink, Mar/Apr 2008: 8-10.

2007 (with H. Parker and J. Aldridge) ‘The Normalisation of ‘Sensible’ Recreational Drug Use: Further Evidence from the N. W. England Longitudinal Study’ in P. Manning (Ed) Drugs as Popular Culture.  Cullompton, Devon: Willan.

2003 (with H. Parker) ‘Intoxicated weekends: young adults' work hard-play hard lifestyles, public health and public disorder’ Drugs: Education, prevention and policy, 10 (4): 345-368.

2002 (with R. Egginton & H. Parker) ‘Going Out Drinking: The centrality of heavy alcohol use in English adolescents leisure time and poly-substance-taking repertoires’ Journal of Substance Use, 7: 125-135.

2002 (with H. Parker & J. Aldridge) ‘The Normalisation of ‘Sensible’ Recreational Drug Use: Further Evidence from the N. W. England Longitudinal Study’ Sociology, 36(4): 941-964.

2001 (lead author with H. Parker) ‘Alcohol, Cannabis, Ecstasy and Cocaine: Drugs of reasoned choice amongst young adult recreational drug users in England’ International Journal of Drug Policy, 12: 397-413.

Forthcoming:

(with J. Aldridge, F. Measham and H. Parker) 'Illegal Leisure Revisited: Changing patterns of alcohol and drug use in adolescents and young adults, London: Routledge.

(sole author) 'Changing Lives, Changing Drug Use', Cullompton, Devon: Willan.