Dr. David Best

Dr. Best is Professor of Criminology at the University of Derby and Honorary Professor of Regulation and Global Governance at The Australian National University. He is also chair of the Prisons Research Network of the British Society of Criminology. Trained as a psychologist and criminologist, he has worked in practice, research and policy in the areas of addiction recovery and rehabilitation of offenders. He has authored or co-edited seven books on addiction recovery and desistance from offending, and has written more than 200 peer-reviewed journal publications and around 70 book chapters and technical reports. In 2019, he has produced a monograph entitled “Pathways to Desistance and Recovery: The role of the social contagion of hope” (Policy Press) and a co-edited volume entitled “Strength-based approaches to crime and substance use” (Routledge). He currently leads a longitudinal research study into pathways to recovery by gender in Scotland, England, Belgium and the Netherlands. His research interests include recovery pathways, recovery capital and its measurement, social identity theory and its implications for recovery, recovery and desistance, addiction treatment effectiveness particularly in prison settings, prison and community connections, and family experiences of addiction and recovery.