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Date: April 19, 2024 Fri
Time: 4:10 pm
Time: 4:10 pm
Results for bleach
1 results foundAuthor: Thompson, Jennie Title: Use of Bleach and the Methadone Maintenance Treatment Program as Harm Reduction Measures in Canadian Penitentiaries Summary: To prevent the transmission of blood-borne infections (BBIs), including human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) and hepatitis C virus (HCV), Correctional Service Canada (CSC) directs that bleach be “easily and discreetly” accessible to inmates for the cleaning of injecting, tattooing and piercing equipment (CSC, 2004). Further CSC provides a Methadone Maintenance Treatment Program (MMTP) to inmates severely addicted to opiates (CSC, 2003). To date, there has not been a thorough examination of the demand for bleach (defined as any attempt to access bleach between November 2006 and completion of the survey) and use of MMTP for the purpose of harm reduction in Canadian Penitentiaries. To address this gap in knowledge, CSC conducted the National Inmate Infectious Diseases and Risk-Behaviours Survey (NIIDRBS) in 2007. This questionnaire was completed by a large sample of Canadian federal inmates (n=3,370). This report presents NIIDRBS findings on the use of injection drug use (IDU), tattooing and piercing; awareness of and demand for bleach; and, participation in MMTP. Overall, a minority of inmates reported risk factors for BBIs: 17% reported injecting drugs, 38% reported tattooing, and 13% reported piercing while at CSC. These inmates may be exposed to BBIs through the use of someone else’s equipment for injecting, tattooing, and piercing. A large proportion of inmates who used injection drugs reported using someone else’s used equipment (68%). Notably, fewer inmates used someone else’s equipment for tattooing and piercing on a CSC range (ranging from 15% to 40%). Among all inmates, 87% reported being aware of CSC’s policy ensuring easy access to bleach and 57% reported a demand for bleach. The majority of inmates who engaged in injecting, tattooing and/or piercing at CSC reported using bleach-cleaned equipment. Furthermore, demand for bleach was higher among inmates who reported using someone else’s used injecting equipment. Overall, bleach is being used as intended among inmates engaging high risk-behaviours associated with the transmission of BBIs. Thirty-seven percent of inmates who had a demand for bleach reported problems accessing it. Inmates reported maintenance issues as the primary problem in accessing bleach (men 69%, women 48%). Forty-eight percent of women also reported that they had to ask staff for bleach. Overall availability of bleach could be increased through decreasing these two issues. Generally, inmates who reported injecting opiates were more likely to use someone else’s used injecting equipment than inmates who reported injecting non-opiates. Hence, injecting opiates may increase the risk of exposure to BBIs through increased risky injecting practices. MMTP is a harm reduction measure offered by CSC to reduce the frequency of opiate use and thus exposure to BBIs. At the time of the survey, 7% of inmates reported being on MMTP. Among those who reported being on MMTP, 60% did not report opiate use recently in a penitentiary. For those not on the program but who had previously tried to get on it, 53% reported not meeting the program requirements; the remaining inmates reported that they had taken themselves off (29%), were taken off because of diversion (<1%), or they were taken off for other reasons (17%). Overall, the NIIDRBS provides descriptive estimates of inmates’ risk- and harm-reducing behaviours associated with the transmission of BBIs. The survey’s cross-sectional design, however, limited the measurement of some indicators. Future research should examine the direct associations between demand for bleach, the use of bleach as a cleaning product and factors associated with using non-sterile equipment. In particular, greater knowledge is needed regarding why inmates do not use the available harm reduction measures. Furthermore, greater detail on risk-behaviours prior to and after MMTP initiation would assist in examining and possibly improving program effectiveness. Details: Ottawa: Correctional Service of Canada, 2010. 57p. Source: Internet Resource: Research Report 2010 Nº R-210: Accessed April 16, 2012 at: http://www.csc-scc.gc.ca/text/rsrch/reports/r210/r210-eng.pdf Year: 2010 Country: Canada URL: http://www.csc-scc.gc.ca/text/rsrch/reports/r210/r210-eng.pdf Shelf Number: 124981 Keywords: BleachCorrectional Institutions (Canada)Drug Abuse Treatment ProgramsDrug OffendersInmate Treatment ProgramsMethadonePrisons (Canada) |