Australia: Safety "Paramount" in Any Prison Needle Exchange

More than 80 percent of guards at the Alexander Maconochie Center have signed a petition asking the Legislative Assembly to abandon discussions of launching a needle-exchange program at the prison. The Australian Capital Territory's government has tasked the Public Health Administration with investigating how such a program might be run. Vince McDevitt of the Community and Public Sector Union said, "We have no plans to walk off the job at this stage. We're just making it crystal clear to Government that we're vehemently opposed." The guards are "very concerned that issuing prisoners with weapons that can be used against them is just going to make their job more difficult and dangerous," said opposition Assembly member Jeremy Hanson. "They're very concerned that trying to issue drug-addicted prisoners with needles, and basically maintain their drug habit, won't break the cycle of addiction." Green Party Assembly member Amanda Bresnan countered that NEPs in overseas jails have "improved the safety for prison guards."

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