Reducing injecting-related harms for people in custody
The Harm Reduction in Prisons Working Group – made up of health practitioners and academics from around Australia – has released a consensus statement on reducing the spread of blood borne viruses and other injecting-related harms in prisons.
Justice Health NSW is committed to eliminating Hepatitis C in custodial environments
The Working Group is a national cohort of health practitioners, researchers, sector representatives and advocates and is convened by the Social Policy Research Centre’s Drug Policy Modelling Program at UNSW Sydney.
As an active member of the Working Group, Justice Health NSW is committed to eliminating Hepatitis C in custodial environments by 2030.
General Manager of Population and Preventative Health, Colette McGrath said practical and non-judgmental support through a harm reduction approach was a key focus.
“We need to implement evidence-based harm reduction interventions to reduce injecting-related harms in Australian prisons,” Ms McGrath.
“When people in custody inject drugs, we see a number of fatal or serious harms including overdose, blood-borne virus transmission and injecting-related injuries.
“We’ll continue to work with our partners to trial and test the most effective ways of improving the health of those in custody – for their own benefit and the benefit of the broader community.”
Read the consensus statement.