Drugs, Prisons and Harm Reduction

Abstract

The use of drugs in society raises important considerations for health and social policy. Critical health and social care issues arise when drugs are used inside prisons. This paper argues that there is an urgent need for prison drug policies to adopt the principles of harm reduction. However, current policy orthodoxy emphasises the control of drugs and punishment for drug taking. Key components of harm reduction are operationalised in this article by exploring the potential for harm reduction in prison within the context of English drug policy. Whilst the focus is on English policy debates, the discussion will have wider international resonance.

Key Words:

• Drugs
• injection
• harm
• infection
• harm reduction
• prison
• policy
• mandatory drug testing
• substitute drug prescribing
• prison needle exchange schemes
• England