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OTTAWA – Needle exchange programs in prisons, which guards say will put their health and safety at risk, could be examined more closely, the Minister of Public Safety announced on Tuesday. Ralph Goodale.
The federal penitentiary services have already established needle syringe programs in facilities in Ontario and New Brunswick to reduce the incidence of infectious diseases among inmates.
The initiative, which will be deployed in all federal prisons as early as January, will allow inmates to have access to clean needles to limit the transmission of hepatitis C and HIV.
Jason Godin, President of the Union of Canadian Correctional Officers, said the plan was contrary to the long-standing principle of a zero tolerance drug policy and makes prisons more dangerous for the people who work there.
Authorizing inmates to use needles in their cells will greatly increase the risk to guards, who could be injured or infected with bites, according to the union. He notes that in similar programs in some European countries, injection is not allowed in cells, but only in centers supervised by health professionals.
"We are trying to get the government to study other options that may be available," Godin said in an interview. "We are not in favor of the program, but at the same time, if they want to embark on this path, we want it to be implemented in the safest way possible. "
Goodale told the House of Commons Public Safety Committee Tuesday that he had had a very good discussion with Godin last week and that he wanted the union to enjoy "absolute trust" and that his work is respected.
"It's an extremely important and difficult job," said Goodale. "I want to make sure that, to the extent possible, we respond to the legitimate representations of UCCO."
Scott Bardsley, a spokesman for the minister, later said that although the structure of the needle syringe program could be changed, the government remains committed to implementing it throughout the correctional system.
Godin questioned the need for the needle program, as infectious disease rates in prison have decreased.
From 2007 to 2017, the prevalence of hepatitis C in prison rose from 31.6% to 7.8%, while HIV rose from just over 2% to 1.2%, according to federal statistics.
However, these diseases are still far more prevalent behind bars than on the outside.
Godin stated that the union had not been consulted on needle exchange projects or the results of the initial programs of the Grand Valley Institution for Women in Kitchener, Ontario, and the Atlantic Institution of Renous, NB
Correctional Service spokesperson Stephanie Stevenson said officials "are in the early days of identifying lessons learned from both sites".
For years, efforts to prevent and fight blood-borne and badually-transmitted infections in prison included screening, testing, education, addiction treatment programs, and treatment.
Last year, an internal memo from the Correctional Service indicated to Goodale that the idea of a needle program deserved to be taken into account. A program to provide detainees with proper drug injection needles could reduce the spread of hepatitis C by 18% per year.
Earlier this year, the Canadian HIV / AIDS Legal Network applauded the planned program, signaling that the federal government recognizes the evidence of the effectiveness of needle exchanges.
– Follow @JimBronskill on Twitter
Jim Bronskill, Canadian Press
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