“How are we gonna get them off the drugs if they’re allowed to stay on it?” correctional officer perspectives on Overdose prevention sites in prisons

ABSTRACT

Despite growing support for Overdose Prevention Sites (OPS) in global communities, there is less international support for their implementation in prisons. To interpret the contexts shaping positionalities on and challenges associated with OPS in prisons, in the current study, we analyze interpretations of federal correctional officers (COs) in Canada (n = 134) on OPS in prison and associated harm reduction measures. Data were collected through a longitudinal, semi-structured interview research design. Results indicate how many participants support OPS, especially when caveated as a preference over the Prison Needle Exchange Program (PNEP). Still, participants described challenges and complications with OPS policy, implementation, and safety concerns; namely, that OPS hinder correctional rehabilitation, recovery from substance misuse, and effective reintegration post release. While some COs express understanding and support for harm reduction initiatives such as OPS, they called for clear directives and policies, which will support hesitant staff in facilitating this public health measure in prison settings. We untangle policy requirements and raise a number of key questions to support the successful implementation of prison OPS from the perspective of officers, specifically around issues related to needle possession, liability of officers, substance confiscation and the prison economy, and the health and rehabilitation of incarcerated people.

KEYWORDS:

• Overdose prevention sites
• people who use drugs
• harm reduction
• correctional officers
• prisons

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Notes

1. Some literature makes distinctions between OPS and SCS, while other authors may use these terms interchangeably. For our purposes, we are referring to what is known as OPS in prisons. Thus, the prison OPS has qualities of both OPS and SCS. It, like an SCS, is a safe space for people to use their substances without fear of arrest and is staffed by a registered nurse (Mema et al., 2019). But, as an OPS, it does not require federal approval, an approved facility, or trained healthcare professionals as staff (Collins et al., 2019; Kerr, Mitra, Kennedy, & McNeil, 2017) – differences that allow OPS sites to be established more quickly than SCS and increase accessibility to a safe injection location.

Additional information

Funding

This work was supported by the Canadian Institutes of Health Research [440 140]; Union of Canadian Correctional Officers (UCCO-SACC-CSN) [n/a]; Correctional Services of Canada [n/a]; Canadian Institute of Health Research [411 385]; Canadian Institute of Health Research [422 567].