A prison in Kingston, Ontario will become the third site in Canada where inmates can consume illicit drugs that they have snuck into prison, while receiving medical supervision. According to CBC, the new initiative will be introduced at the Collins Bay Institution in the near future. The prison will join two other sites in Canada where inmates are allowed to use “self-supplied” drugs.
The federal department, Correctional Service Canada (CSC), which operates federal prisons, currently has various harm-reduction strategies in place. These include prison needle exchange programs and the Overdose Prevention Service (OPS), which was established in June 2019 at Alberta’s Drumheller Institution. Planning and consultation for the Kingston location are currently underway, with renovations being carried out to open the site as soon as possible.
Another OPS was launched by CSC on July 17 at the Springhill Institution in Nova Scotia. The aim of the OPS is to prevent fatal and non-fatal overdoses among incarcerated individuals, as well as the sharing of non-sterile needles and the transmission of blood-borne infectious diseases. The service also aims to facilitate referrals to other healthcare services and programs.
The CSC claims that there have been no fatal overdoses at the first two prisons with an OPS in place. However, there have been 23 suspected or actual overdoses at Collins Bay prison during the 2022-23 fiscal year and 17 this year. Inmates are allowed to use designated “consumption rooms” for drug use, where they can be monitored for signs of an overdose. These rooms operate between 7 a.m. and 7 p.m., seven days a week.
The site selection for OPS is based on research indicating a higher number of overdoses at certain prisons, primarily due to opioids, according to the CSC. Inmates are responsible for managing their own consumption process, but healthcare staff are available to provide health teaching, counseling, and emergency response if needed. Inmates can bring and use a quantity of drugs suitable for personal single use, and they will not be disciplined for using the service, as it is considered a harm reduction initiative.
However, inmates who are caught with illicit drugs outside of the OPS may face disciplinary measures or criminal charges. Canadian jails also offer screening and testing services, information on infectious diseases, condoms, methadone, mental health counseling, access to bleach, and a prison needle exchange program in several prisons.
Chris Bucholtz, the regional president for Ontario’s Union of Canadian Correctional Officers, expressed concerns about the moral dilemma faced by prison guards. He stated that while they are supposed to keep drugs out, they are now providing inmates with a place to use them. The drug use site at Collins Bay was supposed to be operational this month but has faced delays due to ongoing renovations.