G. D'Anne Hancock earned four degrees in finance and economics, including a Ph.D., and began her academic career at the University of Missouri in 1988. She earned tenure in 1994 and spent over three decades teaching and publishing in financial economics.

Her professional success was upended when her son, Scott, became addicted to opioids following a legitimate prescription at age 16. In 2019, he was arrested under drug-induced homicide laws and sentenced to 20 years in federal prison. Hancock retired early to investigate how the U.S. justice system handles addiction, leading to this book — her deeply personal account of a system that punishes the vulnerable and silences the truth.

Traumatized and unable to perform the duties required by her position, she retired early from the University and began studying criminal drug law, the US judicial system, DIH cases, and medical evidence. This book summarizes what she learned about the criminalization of addiction in the U.S. justice system.

Books Published

Hancock, G.D. The Criminalization of Addiction: The Case of U.S. v. Gary Scott Hancock. Ingram-Sparks, 2024.

Publications in Criminal Justice

Refereed Publications

Hancock, G.D. "Punishing Addiction: Structural Failure in U.S. Drug Policy," under review at
Criminology & Criminal Justice
(May 2026).

Hancock, G.D. "The Illusion of Victimhood in Overdose Deaths,"
Charleston Law Review
(forthcoming Fall 2026).

Hancock, G.D. "The Myth of the Addict-Dealer,"
Journal of Law & Policy
(forthcoming December 2026).

Working Papers

Hancock, G.D. Strict Liability by Another Name: Mandatory Minimums in DIH.
Working paper.

Hancock, G.D. Prosecutor Misconduct.
Working paper.

Hancock, G.D. The BOP as a Drug Dealer.
Working paper.