Introduction “Yes, [you] assume that everybody, absolutely everybody has hep C, and AIDS and everything else . . . you just assume everybody’s got it.“ (Miller et al, 2013). Correctional services across the country, all struggle with different types of harm, towards the inmates and the staff. According to a study done by Small, et al. (2005), 40% of federal inmates reported that they have used illicit illegal drugs while in prison and 11% of the illicit drug use was from injection drug use. In Correctional Health Care Services, it is important to analyze how prisons implement harm reduction in the inmate communities. Unsterile needle use is a very prominent ethical issue among prisons across the world, should prisoners be given sterile needles …show more content…
These syringes commonly referred to as “rigs” circulate amongst prison cells and are used repeatedly as they are in high demand and will get confiscated if found on a person (Small, et al 2005). In a study Sieck, & Dembe conducted in the year of 2011, they had inmates participate in a pre-release study where they took mandatory blood tests and an optional genital swab test. They had identified 53 new cases of disease out of 916 inmates (5.5%) scheduled for release during the period of the study, of those patients 12% reported engaging in sexual activity whilst in prison, 35% reported having tattoos done, and 19.5% reported drug use. These facts suggest that approximately 5.5% of prisoners that are in the process of being released back in to the public are bringing infectious diseases contracted whilst in prison. The amount of drug use amongst prison populations has remained relatively stable at about 10% per year, and the prevalence of Hepatitis C was reported to be 2993 cases in 2003 representing 23.6% of the population (Small, et al 2005). The prevalence of HIV/AIDS amongst prison populations in Canada has increased by an average of 15 cases per year since the year 1989 with a total of 223 federal prisoners known to be HIV positive in the year 2003 (Small, et al 2005). In a study conducted by Jafari, …show more content…
This would go directly against the point of prison as there are a majority of inmates who were imprisoned due to drug related incidents. Also by condoning, the use of sterile needles for tattooing purposes would allow inmates to once again have the ability to create more weapons. Tattooing can also present inmates an opportunity to continue tattooing gang related signs and symbols which is also an undesired outcome in correctional facilities. Prison’s have given three strategies attempts in harm reduction, strategy one is provide bleach for sterilization of equipment, strategy 2 safe-tattooing programs, 3 distribution of sterile needles for safe injection sites (Miller et al.,