Proponents criticize slow expansion of needle exchange program in federal prisons
OTTAWA – Health advocates say the federal prison needle exchange program is failing because it was poorly deployed by the Department of Corrections and has not improved since it was introduced four years ago.
Since the program was last expanded in 2019, nine out of Canada’s 43 prisons have provided inmates with sterile facilities for drug use, and last summer officials announced that it would expand nationwide. said it would be implemented effectively.
According to a report released this week by the HIV Legal Network, the program still exists in only nine prisons, with most people not in prison.
In June, 53 of the approximately 13,000 criminals in federal custody were in the program.
Sandra Ka Hong Chu, Co-Executive Director of the HIV Legal Network, said the need for multiple layers of institutional recognition and stigma was the main reason for the low participation rate. I’m here.
The federal government has said it is working to expand the program, but that plan has been delayed by the COVID-19 pandemic.This report by the Canadian Press was first published Dec. 1, 2022. .
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Proponents criticize slow expansion of needle exchange program in federal prisons
Source link Proponents criticize slow expansion of needle exchange program in federal prisons