Canada: Prison Watchdog Calls for Exchange of Needles Program

Canada's federal prisons ombudsman, Howard Sapers, on Thursday called on Public Safety Minister Anne McLellan to establish needle-exchange programs in penitentiaries. Sapers' annual report said the Correctional Service of Canada has for years ignored such recommendations.

According to Sapers, drug use is rampant in Canadian prisons with some prisons reporting that three-quarters of inmates inject drugs. Access to clean needles would help contain the spread of blood-borne diseases like HIV and hepatitis C. Since infected inmates ultimately are released into the community, "this is a public health issue," Sapers said. "It's not a question of whether we condone [drug use] or not condone it." He noted that similar programs in other countries have been shown to reduce the spread of disease without leading to inmates using the needles as weapons against guards.

Kevin Sorenson, a Conservative Member of Parliament, noted the prison system is supposed to have a zero-tolerance policy on drug use, yet is considering providing prisoners with clean needles. The government must take into account the safety of guards, said Sorenson. "Some corrections officers need gloves to avoid needle sticks while going through searches," he said.

The report praised the Correctional Service for setting up a pilot program to provide safe tattoos to prisoners.

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