Reducing crime through “best practice” on alcohol and other drugs in prison settings workshop (Report)

On July 4 2005, the New Zealand Drug Foundation hosted a national workshop, Reducing crime through best practice on alcohol and other drugs in prison settings, at Te Papa Tongarewa, the Museum of New Zealand, in Wellington.

Background

The workshop aimed to start a discussion on how using “best practice” in dealing with alcohol and other drug issues in prison settings may help reduce crime in New Zealand.

There has been increasing concern about alcohol and other drugs issues in prisons, ranging from intravenous drug use to smoking cessation. Evidence from New Zealand and overseas shows that the majority of offending (as much as 80 percent in some studies) is connected to alcohol or other drugs, and that a significant proportion of prison inmates have some level of alcohol or drug dependency. For some people, prison is their introduction to drugs; for others, it is an opportunity to change their lives and deal with their problems.

There is also increasing evidence that support for return to the community, including continuing alcohol and drug treatment, is critical to help former inmates avoid being drawn back into crime.

Drug use in prisons has also been identified as a source for the spread of communicable diseases; notably hepatitis C, but also HIV. Reducing the harm caused is a significant public health concern, so that we reduce both human suffering, and the costs to society of these preventable diseases.

While there is clearly a major problem, fresh approaches are being evaluated here and overseas. Recent New Zealand initiatives include the Department of Corrections formalising their “harm minimisation” approach to alcohol and other drugs in prisons, and prison-based treatment programmes, such as the therapeutic community at Arohata Women’s Prison. In the community, initiatives such as Wellington’s Inner City Project are attempting to provide integrated services to support people coming out of prison with housing and employment needs.

Structure and aims of the workshop

The New Zealand Drug Foundation saw this workshop as the first opportunity to bring together policy-makers, service providers, researchers and advocates who had an interest in addressing alcohol and drugs issues in prisons settings. Forty-six invited guests attended the workshop, which was chaired by Professor Sir John Scott.

The aims of the day were to:

• outline how alcohol and other drugs issues are currently being addressed in New Zealand prison settings, and for people coming out of prisons
• identify key elements of best practice, including whether or how treating alcohol and other drugs (AOD) problems in prisons may contribute to reducing recidivism
• identify other issues, such as impacts on families or wh?nau
• increase attention among agencies and services to the value of dealing with alcohol and other drugs issues for prisoners and families and wh?nau
• identify opportunities for developing collaborations to address issues.

The keynote speaker was Associate Professor Michael Levy, Director of the Centre for Health Research in Criminal Justice in New South Wales. Michael Levy shared his knowledge at this workshop while in Wellington to speak at the NZ Public Health Association conference, supported by the NZ Drug Foundation and the Department of Corrections.

Other presenters were Ross Bell from the NZ Drug Foundation; Barry Matthews and Phil McCarthy from the Department of Corrections; Mark Jacobs and Kayleen Katene from the Ministry of Health; Tim Harding from Care NZ; Anthony Pompallier and Rapai Te Hau from the Wellington Inner City Project; Rhonda Robertson from Bay of Plenty DHB Community Alcohol and Drug Services; and Julia Carr from Capital & Coast District Health Board, Primary and Community Care.

In the afternoon, the workshop divided into smaller groups to discuss key issues, and identify opportunities to develop good practices and improve collaboration.

Following the workshop, the Drug Foundation will continue to work with participants in the workshop, many others who were unable to attend, and other researchers, service providers and consumer advocates, to get and evidence-based approach to prison health on the political and public policy agenda.

Key themes of the workshop

• Use and abuse of alcohol and other drugs makes a significant contribution to New Zealand crime rates - as much as 80 percent of crime is alcohol and drug-related, and the majority of prison inmates have some alcohol or drug dependency.
• Drug use in prison, especially intravenous use (IVU), is a major contributor to the development and spread of dangerous infectious diseases such as hepatitis C and HIV/AIDS; while New Zealand currently has a lower rate of intravenous drug use than other countries such as Australia we still face risks that need to be managed.
• New Zealand has a high rate of imprisonment compared to comparable countries, and imprisonment costs New Zealand about $55,000 per inmate per year.
• The effects of imprisonment have impacts on the families/wh?nau of prisoners and contribute to inter-generational criminal activity, as well as to other problems for them.
• The benefits of treating alcohol and other drugs problems outweigh the costs.
• New Zealand has a national Strategy to Reduce Drug & Alcohol Use by Offenders and a number of initiatives to reduce the supply of drug in prisons, reduce the demand for drugs by those in prisons, and minimise the harms from alcohol and drug use.
• Work is being done to clarify the responsibilities of the health sector (district health boards and the Ministry of Health) and of the Department of Corrections, in providing assessment and treatment services.
• More can be done to ensure to prevent and treat inmate AOD problems: treatment services in prisons are not consistent around the country, and inmates often have waiting lists for treatment.
• The point where a person leaves prison is a critical time if they are to maintain the benefits of treatment - at present there are gaps in service provision and support.
• We need to increase the community’s understanding of how treating alcohol and other drugs problems can contribute to lower crime rates, and reduced effects of crime for all New Zealanders.