BMJ 2000;321:1406 ( 2 December )

Letters

Health effects of prisons

    Many injectors stop injecting while imprisoned
    Risks of syringe exchange programmes in prisons prevail
    Properly executed vaccination programme might minimise harm
    Legitimacy of punishment systems should be addressed

Many injectors stop injecting while imprisoned

The first 150 words of the full text of this article appear below.

EDITOR---In their study of bloodborne viral infection in Irish prisons, Allwright et al found that infection with hepatitis C was associated with continued drug use by injecting in that setting.1 A study by Stark in Germany has also confirmed this finding.2 The authors of both studies have highlighted the discrepancy between the existence of well developed harm reduction programmes in the community, which include needle exchange and methadone maintenance, and the absence of such services in prisons.

I support the principle that imprisonment should not deprive an individual of access to services that are proved to reduce harm. Examination of the currently available research evidence, however, indicates that provision of needle exchange could possibly cause an increase in transmission of bloodborne viral infection in prisons. The findings reported by Allwright and Stark actually support this concern as they indicate that many injectors stop injecting while imprisoned.

In the . . . [Full text of this article]
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Relevant Article

Prevalence of antibodies to hepatitis B, hepatitis C, and HIV and risk factors in Irish prisoners: results of a national cross sectional survey
Shane Allwright, Fiona Bradley, Jean Long, Joseph Barry, Lelia Thornton, and John V Parry
BMJ 2000 321: 78-82. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

Rapid Responses:

Read all Rapid Responses

Something must be done & we should do it!
Andrew John Ashworth
bmj.com, 3 Dec 2000 [Full text]
legitimacy of punishment regimes
Patrick Beauchamp
bmj.com, 9 Jan 2001 [Full text]
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