ALARM AT PRISON RELEASE DRUG DEATHS

ONE in four drug users who fatally overdose in Glasgow dies only days after
being released from prison, according to research published yesterday.

The Greater Glasgow Drug Action Team said that almost a quarter of
drug-related deaths in the first nine months of 1999 occurred among former
prisoners within two weeks of their release.

Roger Houchin, the governor of Barlinnie prison, said that more effective
curbs on the availability of drugs in prisons was partly to blame for the
deaths, claiming it left some addicts unable to cope with larger doses of
heroin injected after release.

The Scottish Prison Service has introduced a variety of measures to control
the flow of drugs into jails, including more rigorous searches,
closed-circuit television cameras, better staff intelligence and random drug
testing.

Dr Laurence Gruer, a member of the drug action team, called for more
education and better support services for recently-released inmates as well
as the introduction of a more effective methadone programme for vulnerable
drug users, including groups such as prostitutes and the homeless.

The call came yesterday as the group published a report analysing 62
drug-related deaths in Greater Glasgow in the first nine months of 1999
which pinpointed heroin as the biggest cause of death.

The figures show that, in 77 per cent of fatal overdoses, heroin was the
main cause of death, although in more than half of the deaths more than one
drug was involved, including temazepam, diazepam and alcohol.

An analysis of the victims showed that 70 per cent were under 30 and 84 per
cent were male, while the vast majority were known drug users. Most deaths
took place in someone's home, but 15 per cent were in hostels for the
homeless.

Mr Houchin said: "It is a cause for concern that there is this high
concentration of deaths in people who have recently left prison, although it
does not come as a great surprise.

"Something approaching 80 per cent of those who are admitted to Barlinnie
prison regularly misuse drugs in the community, but thanks to recent
anti-drugs projects, while in Barlinnie they have very restricted access to
drugs.

"That reduces the tolerance of addicts, making them more vulnerable to
overdosing when they are released."

Fifteen of the deaths analysed involved former prisoners and Dr Gruer said:
"These new figures have pinpointed this particular problem of young men just
coming out of prison and we have also found quite a large number of people
dying in hostels.

"Identifying these vulnerable groups allows us to target our resources and
work with the prison service or people who run these hostels to bring drug
workers into contact with the addicts to give them a chance to get drugs
under control.

"People need to know about these risks as well as knowing where to go to get
a house or how to link up with a GP. Putting clinics in homeless hostels
could be one way forward."

Dr Gruer also said that a more effective methadone service could help reduce
deaths.

Another worrying feature of the drugs figures was the re-emergence of the
use of temazepam, which was found to be present in the bodies of a quarter
of the victims.

Detective Superintendent Barry Dougall said that, while the liquid form of
temazepam had been banned in Britain after being blamed for deaths and
amputations, it was re-emerging among drug users.