{"version":"1.0","type":"rich","provider_name":"Acast","provider_url":"https://acast.com","height":250,"width":700,"html":"<iframe src=\"https://embed.acast.com/$/5c87f3483febdbe47cd80d4a/5e2930113b62fc6e5ea4e6d8?\" frameBorder=\"0\" width=\"700\" height=\"250\"></iframe>","title":"e. 417 - Prison Health Is Public Health: Canadian HIV/AIDS Legal Network Fighting For Needle Exchange Programs In CDN Jails ","thumbnail_width":200,"thumbnail_height":200,"thumbnail_url":"https://open-images.acast.com/shows/5c87f3483febdbe47cd80d4a/1581558196793-a8654a90bebf6f2a3ad543a5baa1dd43.jpeg?height=200","description":"<p>The Canadian HIV/AIDS Legal Network, along with a former prisoner and three other HIV organizations, is suing the federal government over its failure to provide prisoners with easy, confidential, and effective access to needle and syringe programs.&nbsp;</p><p>For more than 25 years, needle and syringe programs have been available in prison systems around the world. Studies of these programs show that they:</p><p><br></p><ul><li>reduce needle-sharing and the risk of HIV and hepatitis C (HCV) infection;</li><li>do not lead to increased drug use or injecting;</li><li>reduce the risk of drug overdoses and other harms to prisoners’ health;</li><li>facilitate referrals of users to drug treatment programs; and</li><li>have not resulted in needles or syringes being used as weapons against staff or other prisoners.</li><li><br></li></ul><p>Because of the scarcity of sterile injection equipment in prison, people who inject drugs behind bars are more likely to share and re-use injection equipment than people in the community. A prison needle and syringe program protects the health and lives of all Canadians. Simply put, prison health is public health.</p>","author_name":"Art of Resistance"}