#043: Criminology: its not just Law & Order - Dr James Martin

For show notes and links: neuralle.com/podcast 







Dr James Martin (
@jamomartin
)
is a Senior Lecturer and Criminology Program Coordinator at the Department of Security Studies and Criminology at Macquarie University. He has specific expertise in cryptomarkets, online drug distribution, organised crime and vigilantism.


James (like our previous guest
Dr Stephen Bright
) has an exceptional ability to highlight the intricacies and misconceptions of the way in which the general public views illicit drugs, challenging what you believe of the government narrative. His leadership in research on a new and burgeoning field of criminology - Cryptomarkets - is underlined by the fact that his work was referenced in the court case of Silk Road’s accused mastermind.


Cryptomarkets have had immense success with decentralised protocols like Bitcoin’s Blockchain and the anonymous browser Tor, which emphasise a key geo-socio-political theme we see happening across the entire world - decentralisation.


This episode will challenge your perception on drug culture, trade and enforcement - hopefully enlightening you along the way. James finds himself continuously reminding people that Criminology is just not as glamorous as TV portrays it - we’re looking at you, Law & Order!


In this episode we delve into:

The catalyst of what got James into criminology



What being a criminologist is like



Illicit drugs, criminalisation & harm reduction



The dark web & darknet



Cryptomarkets & Silk Road



What cryptomarkets can teach us



How drug prohibition doesn’t work



Online drug branding: “Fair trade cocaine”



Advice to those interested in pursuing criminology




Enjoy the episode,


Jordan & Lauren