Dr Charlotte Walsh

I completed both my undergraduate degree and MPhil in Law at the University of Manchester. I then took up my present position as Lecturer in Law at Leicester Law School where I run a Criminology module along with teaching Law Justice and Society. My research specialism is in drug policy particularly pertaining to psychedelics and plant medicines approached from the perspective of human rights. I'm the Year Tutor for all joint degree students Academic Coordinator for the Law with Criminology degree programme and a member of the Admissions Team.

I’m interested in criminological issues in general with a particular focus upon drug policy approached from a liberal human rights informed perspective. In particular I’m interested in the conflict between the prohibitive drug laws and the autonomy rights such as the right to freedom of religion to freedom of thought to cognitive liberty to privacy to self creation. I’m especially interested in the psychedelics and the plant medicines in thinking about what a more progressive system might look like.

Walsh, Psychedelics, Self-Creation, and Article 8 of the European Convention on Human Rights: A Feminist Perspective in Papaspyrou, Baldini and Luke (Eds), Psychedelic Mysteries of the Feminine: Creativity, Ecstasy, and Healing, Park Street Press, 2019, chapter 23.

Walsh, Caught in the Crossfire: plant medicines and the Psychoactive Substances Act 2016 (2017) Journal of Psychedelic Studies.  https://dx.doi.org/10.1556/2054.01.2017.010

Walsh, "Ayahuasca in the English Courts: legal entanglements with the jungle vine" in Labate, Cavnar and Gearin (eds) The World Ayahuasca Diaspora: reinventions and controversies, Routledge, 2017. https://doi.org/10.4324/9781315551425

Walsh, "Psychedelics and Cognitive Liberty: reimagining drug policy through the prism of human rights" (2016) International Journal of Drug Policy 29: 80-87.  Open access version, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.drugpo.2015.12.025

Walsh, "Plant Psychedelics in the English Courts: legal uncertainty, guinea pigs and 'dog law" in Ellens and Roberts (eds) The Psychedelic Policy Quagmire: health, law, freedom, and society, Praeger, 2015.  

Walsh, Beyond Religious Freedom: psychedelics and cognitive liberty in Labate, Beatriz, C. & Cavnar, Clancy (Eds) (2014). Prohibition, Religious Freedom, and Human Rights: Regulating Traditional Drug Use. Berlin/Heidelberg: Springer Open access version, https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-40957-8_11

Walsh, Bioprediction in Youth Justice in Singh, Sinnott-Armstrong and Savalecu (eds) Bioprediction, Biomarkers and Bad Behavior: scientific, legal and ethical challenges, Oxford University Press, 2013.

Walsh, "Drugs, the Internet & Change" (2011) Journal of Psychoactive Drugs 43(01), 55-63.  Open access version,  https://doi.org/10.1080/02791072.2011.566501

Walsh, C. "Youth Justice & Neuroscience: a dual-use dilemma" (2011) British Journal of Criminology 51: 21-39.  Open access version,   https://doi.org/10.1093/bjc/azq061

Walsh (2010) Drugs and human rights: private palliatives, sacramental freedoms and cognitive liberty International Journal of Human Rights, Volume 14 Issue 3, 425.  Open access version,   https://doi.org/10.1080/13642980802704270

I am potentially interested in supervising PhD students looking at any issue pertaining to Criminology with a particular interest in those who want to research Drug Policy.

I am Module Convenor for Criminology. On this module we adopt a critical approach and studying the following topics: constructions of crime; green criminology; youth justice; drug policy; crime on film; and neurocriminology. I also teach Law Justice and Society.

Drug Policy in particular it’s implications for human rights and as it pertains to the psychedelics and plant medicines.