Mark Simpson

Professor Mark Simpson graduated from Teesside with a degree in politics. He went on to conduct a PhD which explored the relationship between drug use and crime among a sample of young people in north east England. He was awarded his doctorate in 2003 and has subsequently written and researched in the fields of youth crime, youth justice, drug use and policing.

Some of his work in the area of drugs has been reprinted as The Library of Drug Abuse and Crime (Ashgate). To quote the editors: ‘Each essay selected for inclusion was expected to meet at least one of three criteria: it should help advance future research, it should contribute to theory, or it should assist policy thinking. Because this volume is intended for an international readership each essay had to meet one final criterion – it had to have relevance beyond the country where it originated.’

With colleagues at the University, he wrote Study Skills for Criminology (Sage). Commenting on the second edition (2012), Dr Pamela Davies of Northumbria University said it 'contains no shortage of good advice on studying at university and adopts a practical approach to graduate skills and employment preparedness. A sound investment for new students'. Along with other colleagues, he has edited a text, Drugs in Britain, which explores issues in contemporary drug use - drugs education, drug policy and the drug/crime relationship.

Professor Simpson has conducted research funded by organisations including the Joseph Rowntree Foundation. He is a director of the British Society of Criminology where he sits on the Executive Committee and Chairs the Conference Committee. He is a Governor at Parkend Primary School. He chairs the board of Tristar Homes, Tees Valley Leisure Limited and sits on the Board of Thirteen. He was a member of the Quality Assurance Agency benchmarking group criminology. Mark is also a Principal Fellow of the HEA.

Mark is an active participant in charity events that have included climbing Mount Kilmanjaro and running the London Marathon.

Illicit drug use and crime, youth crime, criminal careers and transitions and police and police leadership. Professor Simpson has also researched criminal justice, in particular youth justice and qualitative methodologies.