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Give Inmates Clean Needles

Submitted by Nicole Seguin on Fri, 02/19/2010 - 5:17pm
Constructive pragmatism will do much more for inmate health than knee jerk conservatism.
 
Neil Boyd, The Mark
 
A recent report from the Canadian HIV/AIDS network has called for the implementation of needle exchange programs in Canadian prisons. The report notes that rates of HIV and Hepatitis C infection are about 20 times higher in our jails than in the general population. Further, jail appears to be a breeding ground for illegal drug use, especially for intravenous drugs.
 
This isn’t news – we’ve known this to be true of federal institutions in Canada for more than a generation. And this report provides ample testimony from former inmates regarding the drug use that they and other prisoners engaged in. With a sporadic supply of needles, sharing equipment becomes commonplace.

Wrong On Drugs

Submitted by Nicole Seguin on Wed, 12/02/2009 - 12:52am

By: Neil Boyd, The Mark News

Let’s assume that mandatory minimum sentences for the distribution of illegal drugs represents good social policy, sending a message to would-be participants in the commercial trade, frightening drug dealers out of the business, especially if they use weapons, or engage in any form of intimidation.

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