UNICRI is participating in the EU-wide project “Addiction and Lifestyles in Contemporary Europe: Reframing Addictions Project (ALICE RAP)”, a five year research project which brings together participants from 43 research institutions in 25 European countries.

The ALICE RAP project, co-financed by the European Commission, examines the challenges posed by addictions and lifestyles to cohesion, organization and functioning of contemporary European societies. Addiction to alcohol, tobacco, illegal drugs and gambling/gaming, as well as addiction-related harms and costs, are studied through a multidisciplinary approach and foresight analysis.

The project aims to stimulate and feed evidence into a comprehensive public dialogue and debate on current and alternative approaches to addictions. It also underpins the need for a coordinated, Europe-wide strategy to reduce addiction-related harm based on best practices implemented in various Member States. ALICE RAP will contribute to build a European capacity on addiction policies and related research, offering scientific support for policy development and governance across Europe.

The ALICE RAP research staff is composed of experts on addiction studies from a wide range of scientific disciplines. The integrated trans-disciplinary approach provides a means of overcoming the previously fragmented research in this area.

Whereas the research project is divided into seven major areas and twenty-one work packages, UNICRI’s mandate lies within work package 6 and work package 10:

Within the framework of work package 6, UNICRI will comparatively analyse the costs of addictions to the criminal justice systems of Poland, Portugal and Spain – Catalonia, with regard to variations in the policies adopted by these countries, differences in law enforcement and in the sentencing of addiction-related offences. Moreover, the global experiences from alternatives to incarceration for people with drug addiction will be examined, and recommendations for policies and programmes will be made based on scientific evidence and best practices.

Within work package 10, which examines revenues generated in the illicit economy and which aims to enhance the understanding of the individuals and institutions involved in markets of addictive products, UNICRI will undertake prison-based interviews in Italy, and transcribe and translate the data, which will be further analysed by RAND Europe.

For a more comprehensive overview of the ALICE RAP project and all its sub-fields of study, see this link