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Non-compliance or What? An Empirical Inquiry into the Regulatory Pyramid of Chinese Drug Users

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Abstract

Rarely has any study examined the regulatory structure of drug treatment in China from the perspective of the regulated actors (i.e., illicit drug users). This study, based on interviews with 36 drug users placed in compulsory drug treatment centers, aims to understand their experiences with the whole treatment regime. Their views of the multiple tools and strategies adopted by regulators are explored. The findings are presented and discussed in relation to the “regulatory pyramid” developed in the Western context, which advocates maximal use of restorative justice and minimal sufficiency in imposing deterrence. They show that China’s current state-centered regulatory practice in drug treatment lacks both a restorative base and regulatory deterrence, rendering escalation in the pyramid inevitable. Implications for theory and practice are offered with regard to enhancing compliance in the current regulatory context of China.

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Funding

This study was funded by Jiangsu Provincial Social Sciences Research Key Project, the People’s Republic of China (2018SJZDI119), the National Social Science Fund of the People’s Republic of China (19BSH029), and the National Social Science Fund of the People's Republic of China (18CFX001).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. School of Criminal Justice, Shanghai University of Political Science and Law, Waiqingsong Road 7989, Shanghai, 201701, China

    Xiaoyu Yuan

  2. School of Social and Behavioral Sciences, Nanjing University, Heren Building, Room 409, 163 Xianlin Avenue, Nanjing, Jiangsu, 210023, China

    Liu Liu

Authors
  1. Xiaoyu Yuan
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  2. Liu Liu
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Correspondence to Liu Liu.

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All procedures performed in studies involving human participants were in accordance with the ethical standards of the institutional and/or national research committee and with the 1964 Helsinki declaration and its later amendments or comparable ethical standards.

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Yuan, X., Liu, L. Non-compliance or What? An Empirical Inquiry into the Regulatory Pyramid of Chinese Drug Users. Asian J Criminol 18, 155–170 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11417-022-09379-2

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11417-022-09379-2

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