CORONER CALLS FOR FREE SYRINGES IN JAILS

HEROIN substitutes and clean syringes should be provided to prisoners
to combat disease and corruption in jails, a coronial inquest into
the overdose of a murderer has recommended. Prisons Minister Judy
Spence yesterday rejected the recommendation of Queensland Coroner
Michael Barnes, who delivered his findings into the death in his cell
from a heroin overdose of Darren Michael Fitzgerald on June 13, 2004.

Ms Spence said the Government would not be handing out syringes in
jails, and said there were no plans to extend the methadone program
beyond the two in women's prisons in Brisbane and Townsville.

Mr Barnes found a significant number of prisoners had blood-borne
viruses and many injected drugs, and were offered only counselling to
beat their habit.

"Even those whose callousness might permit them to conclude prisoners
do not deserve such consideration cannot ignore the risk that
prisoners on release will infect family and others with diseases they
have acquired in prison as a result of the department's refusal to
allow access to syringes," he said.

"Nor can security be validly raised as an objection. Automatically
retracting needles are available and in any event there are currently
clearly numerous needles circulating in the prison system, and none
have been used as weapons.

"In view of the inability of the Department of Corrective Services to
keep prisons drug-free, and in recognition of its obligation to
minimise the spread of blood-borne viruses among the prison
population and those with whom prisoners will come in contact after
release, I recommend that prisoners be given access to clean syringes."

His other recommendation was that "as a matter of urgency, the
department establish opioid dependence pharmacotherapy programs
utilising methadone and buprenorphine".

A Queensland prisons spokesman said NSW was the only state offering a
comprehensive methadone program - with over 1000 participants. No
states offer a needle or syringe exchange program.