June 25, 2007
Weaning Prisoners Away From Drugs and HIV Tough But Possible
New Delhi
Drug use among prisoners is a huge problem that leads to HIV
transmission in overcrowded jails and weaning them away from it is
possible but tough, according to the UN Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC)
regional centre for South Asia here.
As a result, "all over the world, rates of HIV infection among
prison populations are much higher than in the general population,"
Jayadev Sarangi of UNODC points out.
"Drug use in general, and injecting drug use (IDU) in particular, as
well as violence and the practice of men having sex with men are
widespread in prisons, leading to HIV transmission," Sarangi says.
"Many prisoners share needles to inject drugs. This is also an
important mode of HIV transmission."
Most prisons in South Asia are overcrowded, leading to higher risk
of infection. According to the International College for Prison
Studies in Kings College, London, in 2004-05 the occupancy levels in
prisons were 277.1 percent in Bangladesh, 139 percent in India,
147.4 percent in the Maldives, 142.6 percent in Nepal and 193.2
percent in Sri Lanka.
UNODC is working among more than 20,000 prisoners in South Asia on
issues related to drugs and HIV. It has also been building the
capacities of 4,250 prison officials, welfare officers, doctors and
volunteers to work with prisoners on these issues.
"Currently there is growing awareness and widespread concern about
drugs and HIV/AIDS in prisons, though it may take a while to change
the legal and institutional framework for working with prisoners,"
Sarangi says. UNODC has found that there is an urgent need for
training custodial and rehabilitation agencies, and of greater
coordination between them.
The process of weaning anyone away from drug abuse involves giving
him smaller and smaller doses of the drug. The UN organisation has
suggested that these drugs be made available by the authorities to
ensure that they are not contaminated, and that voluntary groups be
involved in the detoxification process.
UNODC has stressed several other issues that need attention while
working with prisoners. These include reduction in overcrowding,
other sentencing programmes and separation of juveniles from adult
prisoners.
Many people are in prison for the sole crime of being drug users,
Sarangi points out. UNODC has suggested that treating these people
may be an alternative to imprisonment.
UNODC has also suggested confidential and voluntary counselling and
testing for HIV among prisoners. Sarangi says: "This should be
followed by psychosocial support, antiretroviral therapy, improved
hygiene, sanitation and diet for HIV-infected prisoners."
The UN organisation has also suggested similar care for prisoners
suffering from other sexually transmitted infections, tuberculosis
and hepatitis B and C.
The intervention programme has not reached most of the prisoners in
South Asia. But UNODC has found positive results wherever it has
reached. "As people prepare to observe June 26 as the International
Day against Drug Abuse and Illicit Trafficking, the need is to
expand this and similar programmes many times," according to
Sarangi.
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