Jamie Livingston

Dr. Jamie Livingston

Associate Professor
Phone: 1.902.491.6258
Email: jamie.livingston@smu.ca
Office: McNally South, Room 431

Personal Profile

Ph.D. (Criminology) Simon Fraser University, 2011
M.A. (Criminology) Simon Fraser University, 2001
Honours (Psychology) University of Prince Edward Island, 1999
B.A. (Psychology) University of Prince Edward Island, 1998

Dr. Livingston critically studies a range of issues at the intersection of the mental health, substance use, and criminal legal systems, with a specific focus on people’s experiences with stigma, criminalization, and recovery/ desistance processes. His scholarship often calls attention to the harms created by carceral and coercive interventions that target people with mental health and substance use issues.

Research Areas

Mental health & substance use
Criminalization
Coercive & carceral interventions
Non-police mobile crisis response
Forensic mental health systems
Harm reduction
Structural stigma
Participatory research

Recent Projects and Grants

Meeting the primary healthcare needs of justice-involved people. Change Lab Action Research Initiative: $7,500 (2022-23). Role: Co-PI

Recent Publications

Livingston, J., & Chambers, J. (2024). Civilian mobile crisis services. In A. Szigeti, R. Dhand, D. Bonnet, & J. Presser. (Eds.), Canadian anthology on mental health and law. Lexis Nexis.
Salvalaggio, G., Brooks, H., Caine, V., Gagnon, M., Godley, J., Houston, S., Kennedy, M. C., Kosteniuk, B., Livingston, J., Saah, R., Speed, K., Urbanoski, K., Werb, D., & Hyshka, E. (2023). Flawed reports can harm: The case of Supervised Consumption Services in Alberta. Canadian Journal of Public Health, 114, 928-933. https://doi.org/10.17269/s41997-023-00825-x
Livingston, J., Bonn, M., Brown, P., Deveau, S., & Houston, A-M. (2022). Experiences of stigma and criminal in/justice among people who use substances. In G. Schomerus & P. Corrigan (Eds.), The stigma of substance use disorders: Explanatory models and effective interventions. Cambridge University Press.
Livingston, J. D. (2021). Commentary on Kelly et al (2020): The struggle to define or be defined. Addiction, 116, 1768-1769. https://doi.org/10.1111/add.15425
Livingston, J. D. (2021). A framework for assessing structural stigma in healthcare contexts for people with mental health and substance use issues. Mental Health Commission of Canada. https://mentalhealthcommission.ca/resource/a-framework-for-assessing-structural-stigma-in-health-care-contexts-for-people-with-mental-health-and-substance-use-issues/
Livingston, J. D. (2021). Criminal justice responses to people with mental illnesses. In J. V. Roberts & M. G. Grossman (Eds.), Criminal justice in Canada: A reader. (6^th ed.). Nelson.
Livingston, J. D. (2021). Supervised consumption sites and crime: Scrutinizing the methodological weaknesses and aberrant results of a government report in Alberta, Canada. Harm Reduction Journal, 18, 4. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12954-020-00456-2

Recent Media Interviews

CBC Radio. (2025, Feb 26). Civilian alternatives to policing and mental health calls. [Radio interview]. Information Morning Nova Scotia.https://www.cbc.ca/listen/live-radio/1-27-information-morning-ns/clip/16130467-civilian-alternatives-policing-mental-health-calls
CBC News. (2024, Dec 19). Halifax hopes to launch civilian crisis response team in 2025. [Text interview]. https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/nova-scotia/halifax-hopes-to-launch-civilian-crisis-response-team-in-2025-1.7415547
CBC Radio. (2023, Nov 20). Is funding more officers to respond to mental health calls a step in the wrong direction? [Radio interview]. Information Morning Nova Scotia. https://www.cbc.ca/listen/live-radio/1-27/clip/16024246
CBC News. (2023, Sep 18). Criticism mounts over N.B. public safety minister’s plan to force drug users into rehab. [Text interview]. https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/new-brunswick/kris-austin-drug-addiction-forced-treatment-1.6968187
CTV News. (2023, Sep 18). ‘It’s going to be a waste of money’: Front line workers, experts critical of proposed new legislation. [TV and text interview]. https://atlantic.ctvnews.ca/it-s-going-to-be-a-waste-of-money-front-line-workers-experts-critical-of-proposed-new-legislation-1.6567165
Canadian Press. (2023, Sep 18). Experts warn against New Brunswick’s proposal for forced treatment of drug users. [Text interview]. https://www.theglobeandmail.com/canada/article-experts-warn-against-new-brunswicks-proposal-for-forced-treatment-of/
CBC Radio. (2023, Sep 18). Doctors, frontline workers and academics sign open letter urging the NB government to rethink proposed legislation on forced rehab for addicts. [Radio interview]. Information Morning Moncton.
CBC Radio. (2023, Sep 18). Harm reduction expert on forced rehab. [Radio interview]. Information Morning Fredericton.
Global News. (2023, Apr 19). Involuntary substance use treatment in Alberta. [Radio interview]. 630 CHED
Globe & Mail. (2023, Apr 18). Experts weigh in on Alberta considering involuntary treatment. [Text interview]. https://www.theglobeandmail.com/canada/alberta/article-experts-weigh-in-on-alberta-considering-involuntary-treatment/
CBC News. (2023, Apr 17). N.S. shooting report calls for police to be ‘secondary in public safety work. [Text and TV interview]. https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/nova-scotia/report-on-n-s-mass-shooting-calls-for-civilians-to-handle-mental-health-calls-1.6811228
Global News. (2023, Apr 3). Mass Casualty Commission recommendations focus on mental health calls. [TV interview]. https://globalnews.ca/video/9599319/mass-casualty-commission-recommendations-focus-on-mental-health-calls/
Committable Podcast. (2022, Aug 30). Precisely no. [Podcast interview]. https://committablethepodcast.podbean.com/e/s2-episode-2-precisely-no/
CBC Radio. (2022, July 29). Researcher investigates alternatives to calling police to respond to mental health crises. [Radio Interview]. https://www.cbc.ca/player/play/2056674371505
Progress Report. (2022, June 27). Unarmed mental health crisis response saves lives and money [Podcast]. https://www.theprogressreport.ca/pod_unarmed_mental_health_crisis_response
CBC Radio. (December 26, 2021). Crisis response teams achieve 70% reduction in people taken into custody under Mental Health Act [Text Interview]. https://www.cbc.ca/radio/whitecoat/crisis-response-teams-achieve-70-reduction-in-people-taken-into-custody-under-mental-health-act-1.6296427
Hemion, C. (2021, July 3). The Scared Straight Tour endangers people who use substances. [Text Interview]. The Peak. https://the-peak.ca/2021/07/the-scared-straight-tour-endangers-people-who-use-substances/
Livingston, J. (2021, June 25). Let’s take a closer look at Nova Scotia’s mental health crisis line. [Text Commentary]. The Nova Scotia Advocate. https://nsadvocate.org/2021/06/25/lets-take-a-closer-look-at-nova-scotias-mental-health-crisis-line/
Livingston, J. (2021, June 20). Mental health crisis responses without police. [Text Commentary]. The Nova Scotia Advocate. https://nsadvocate.org/2021/06/20/jamie-livingston-mental-health-crisis-responses-without-police/
Pan, A. (2021, January 8). Criminology professor finds Alberta government report flawed. [Radio Interview]. CBC Radio Edmonton. https://www.cbc.ca/player/play/1842049603884
Omstead, J. (2021, January 8). Alberta’s safe consumption review biased and flawed, researcher says. [Text Interview]. CBC News. https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/edmonton/alberta-s-safe-consumption-review-biased-and-flawed-researcher-says-1.5867053
Smith, A. (2021, January 8). Criminologist raises further concerns related to the UCP-approved supervised drug-use sites report. [Text Interview] Calgary Herald. https://calgaryherald.com/news/politics/criminologist-raises-further-concerns-related-to-the-ucp-approved-supervised-drug-use-sites-report
Livingston, J. D. (2020, November 9). It’s high time to detach police from a mental health crisis response system in Nova Scotia. The Nova Scotia Advocate. Retrieved from https://nsadvocate.org/2020/11/09/jamie-livingston-its-high-time-to-detach-police-from-a-mental-health-crisis-response-system-in-nova-scotia/
Livingston, J. D. (2020, April 19). Freedom on hold: COVID-19 shines a light on ongoing institutional injustices. The Nova Scotia Advocate. Retrieved from https://nsadvocate.org/2020/04/19/jamie-livingston-freedom-on-hold-covid-19-shines-a-light-on-ongoing-institutional-injustices/

Courses Taught

CRIM 2110 Exploring Criminology
CRIM 3505: Prisons and Punishment
CRIM 4429: Criminalization of Mental Illness
CRIM 6600 Advanced Graduate Seminar

Faculty of Arts

Department of Criminology

criminology@smu.ca

902-420-5768

902-420-5211

McNally South 424

Mailing address:

923 Robie Street

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