Harm reduction in prisons -Plenary session, P2 mon 14th – 9-10.30 - post by Jimi
Hey all,
So many wonderful harm reduction innovations in one day - but there was one that lept out and bit me. At a harm reduction in prisons plenary, a little gem appeared and i just cant keep my gob shut a second longer.
Baroness Vivien Stern spoke of the way scottish prisons handle drug testing. All the money they used to spend on testing prisoners is now spent on support. They no longer test for substances in the urine in a punitive way, the tests they do are randomised and anonomysed and results are used to inform treatment options and service development.
Its so brilliant and simple I nearly missed it. I had to repeat it over and over to fully grasp it and when I did understand its full implications I was bowled over by its potential.
So brilliant, its got a proven evidence base, and its an initiative the home office and the prison service should embrace south of the border.
For further information you can contact the ihra website: www.ihra.net
Jimi from HUG
