Written Answers. - Prison Drug Treatment Services.
Tony Gregory
Question:
326
Mr. Gregory
asked the
Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform
if he will make a statement on the findings of independent research that shows that one in five drug users in prison began injecting drugs in prison.
[26972/00]
At my instigation, the department of community health and general practice, Trinity College, Dublin, has conducted two major health risk surveys on prisoner in custody.
They reported that approximately one in five prisoners who injected heroin claimed that they first started injecting while in prison. Prison management is, however, generally sceptical of this particular figure. It must be remembered that the declared personal drug histories by participants in surveys of this kind cannot be totally relied upon as accurate in all instances.
I can assure the Deputy that I am fully committed to tackling the drug problem in the prison system. The action plan on drug misuse and drug treatment in the prison system, which I approved last year, provides a detailed strategy to raise the level of treatment for drug addicted offenders and reduce the supply of drugs in the prison system. This includes the expansion of detoxification facilities, more drug free areas and the provision of methadone maintenance. The provision of addiction counselling support services is central to the plan. The plan builds on a medical policy which has been agreed between my Department and the Eastern Health Board in that it seeks to provide the same access to treatment for prisoners as patients have within the community.
At my request the director general of the Prisons Service established a national steering group for prison based drug treatment services with a view to implementing the action plan. The steering group comprises representatives from this Department, the Eastern Health Board, senior Prisons Service management, probation and welfare service, prisons psychology service and the prison education service. The group submitted their first report to me in July of this year and the report was circulated to various organisations for views and feedback. The implementation of the recommendations contained in the report were approved, in principle, by the Government on 18 October 2000, on the basis that the precise staffing and other expenditure related proposals would be the subject of direct negotiations between the Departments of Justice, Equality and Law Reform, Health and Children and Finance as well as the Prisons Service and health boards. These are due to commence immediately.
Tony Gregory
Question:
327
Mr. Gregory
asked the
Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform
the plans he has to reduce the high rate of Hepatitis C among prisoners.
[26973/00]
I have been acutely aware of the problem of hepatitis infection and the associated drug problem in our prisons for some time. At my request, independent research has been conducted by Trinity College Dublin on the prevalence and risk of hepatitis B, hepatitis C and HIV in Irish prisoners. The latest report from the research team, based on a very large sample of committal prisoners in 1999, found that infection with hepatitis C among the prisoners who took part in the survey was 22%. However, the prevalence of hepatitis C among declared drug users was found to be 72%. These figures are similar to the prevalence of infection among drug users in the community. Almost one in four of all the 607 prisoners tested had evidence of either hepatitis B or C or HIV infection.
Information on HIV, hepatitis B and hepatitis C is routinely available to all prisoners through prison medical and other staff. Prisoners diagnosed with any of these conditions are automatically referred to specialist clinics in external hospitals for assessment and advice in relation to current or envisaged treatment needs. Any recommended treatment is provided to prisoners while in prison.
A steering committee on communicable dis eases has been at work in my Department for some time dealing specifically with this important issue. In addition, the director of the Prison Medical Service, in his annual report for 1998, recommended an independent review of the structure and organisation of prison health care services. I had no hesitation in accepting his recommendation and a multi-disciplinary group has been established to conduct this review. This group is expected to report in the first half of 2001.
The action plan on drug misuse and drug treatment in the prison system, which I approved last year, provides a detailed strategy to raise the level of treatment for drug addicted offenders and reduce the supply of drugs in the prison system. At my request the director general of the Prisons Service established a national steering group for prison based drug treatment services with a view to implementing the action plan. The steering group comprises representatives from my Department, the Eastern Health Board, senior Prisons Service management and the probation and welfare service. The director general has agreed to chair the steering group himself to signal the importance that is attached by the prison authorities and Government to this issue. The group submitted their first report to myself in July of this year and the report was circulated to various organisations for views and feedback. The implementation of the recommendations contained in the report were approved, in principle, by the Government on 18 October 2000, on the basis that the precise staffing and other expenditure related proposals would be the subject of direct negotiations between the Departments of Justice, Equality and Law Reform, Health and Children and Finance as well as the Prisons Service and health boards. These are due to commence immediately.
