Doctoral Dissertation Research: Pushed to the Margins: Methamphetamine, Crime, and Inequality

Kansas State University, Manhattan KS

Investigators

Abstract

Though a rich body of literature examines the causes and consequences of drug criminalization and mass imprisonment in the United States, the majority of these works are situated in urban contexts. Relatively little research considers the effects of aggressive drug control practices on rural residents and non-urban spaces. Focusing on methamphetamine use and control in rural areas, this project examines the nature, extent, and consequences of such practices and provides a theoretical frame to consider how the politics and policies of mass imprisonment extend to rural America. Ethnographic observation and interview techniques gather data on two distinct populations that collide at the core of the issue. First, interviews and interactions with law enforcement officials helps examine how local authorities respond to and produce knowledge about the "meth epidemic," illustrating why meth remains a top priority for law enforcement despite declining production and use rates. Focusing on meth, which is often viewed as a rural and therefore white phenomenon, also illustrates racialized elements of drug use and the corresponding responses of law enforcement. Second, meth users sentenced to community supervision or participating in community-based drug treatment programs provide insight into the social antecedents of meth use and the consequences of association with the drug. The project promises a variety of implications for public policy. The research illustrates how community characteristics influence our understanding of drug use and drug users by paying close attention to the differences between rural and urban contexts. Additionally, the unique research populations illustrate differences between treatment and surveillance oriented approaches to meth use. Further, the study provides useful data to inform offender reentry programs in rural communities with limited resources. Ultimately, the project attempts to connect patterns of drug use to broader historical and cultural forces unique to rural communities.