PRISONS DESPERATE TO CONTROL DISEASES

Providing Heroin, Tattoo Services Among Proposed Measures

The federal prison service is studying everything from prescription
heroin to sanitary tattooing to help control serious drug and health
problems behind bars, newly released documents indicate.

The ideas are among the options outlined in a draft strategy paper
prepared by the Correctional Service of Canada to address the
challenges of substance abuse and fast-spreading illness.

The February report, Review of the CSC Drug Strategy, says the prison
service is "facing an epidemic of infectious diseases" related to
intravenous drug use, sexual activity, tattooing and body piercing.

Prison infection rates for HIV/AIDS are 10 times that of the Canadian
population. Between 25 and 40 per cent of all offenders, and 90 per
cent of injection drug users, have hepatitis C.

"Staff and offenders fear the threat of infectious diseases as much as
the general public," says the report. "There is now a greater
possibility of acquiring these diseases while incarcerated and of
spreading them to the community at large."

The document, released under the Access to Information Act, was based
on the findings of a federal working group that included officials
from the Correctional Service, national unions, the National Parole
Board, the RCMP, and the departments of Health, Justice and the
Solicitor General. Prison service officials familiar with the review
were unavailable for comment yesterday.

However, Solicitor General Lawrence MacAulay openly acknowledged
recently there are grave drug problems in federal prisons.

The report says "apparently contradictory messages" on drugs have
raised "a major issue of credibility" for the prison service.

Inmates are told on admission to prison that drug trafficking and drug
use are not tolerated.

"However, we then provide those same inmates with a bleach kit and
instructions on how to clean needles," says the paper. "Sexual
activity between inmates is prohibited because institutions are
considered public places, however, we distribute condoms and dental
dams."

The federal government has stopped short of more controversial
measures, such as providing clean needles to inmates in exchange for
dirty ones, or in-house tattoo parlours to prevent infection.

Still, the paper says the overall approach to drugs in Canada is
moving closer to the "harm reduction" model found in the Netherlands.
"It recognizes that drugs have always been used and always will be, no
matter what any government may do. So the goal is to limit the harm of
drug use, both to the individual and to society."

The report advocates building on the approach by studying almost three
dozen options, including:

- - Needle distribution plans, particularly "German and Swedish programs
for possible applicability."

- - Various drug treatments, for example, "prescription
heroin."

- - A review of possibilities for tattooing and body piercing, due to
the high rate of hep C.

- - Severe sanctions for attempting to smuggle drugs into
prisons

- - Revision of the Correctional Service directive on drug strategy, to
provide "clear, consistent messages to the public, inmates and staff."