‘Vulnerable’ Kids Going Country: Children and Young People’s Involvement in County Lines Drug Dealing
Abstract
This article employs a range of sources to critically explore the role of children and young people in county lines drug dealing, the potential harms they are exposed to and the difficulties of protecting them. As county lines centre upon the movement and exploitation of vulnerable peoples, we utilise the human trafficking literature for further insights into the dynamics of county lines and current policy responses. The article concludes by discussing the challenges of safeguarding young people, particularly that over-worked and under-resourced frontline practitioners can experience difficulties identifying the vulnerability of young people caught up in county lines, particularly beneath their tough exteriors.
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Biographies
James Windle is Lecturer of Criminology at University College Cork, Ireland. His primary research focus has been on drug markets, illicit enterprise, street gangs, organized crime and the history of prohibition.
Leah Moyle is a Lecturer in Criminology and Sociology at Royal Holloway, University of London. Leah’s research interests focus on street-level drug markets and the policing and punishment of those operating in them.
Ross Coomber is Professor of Criminology and Sociology at the University of Liverpool. He has been researching and publishing on issues around drug use and supply and associated policy responses for over thirty years. He first started researching on what has become known as county lines drug supply in 2012.
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Article first published online: February 6, 2020
Issue published: April-August 2020
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