Methadone Vending Machines For Prisoners

[Tchort]

Metro

7/15/2009

Prisoner drug addicts are being given a heroin substitute - through vending machines installed in jails, it was revealed today.
A £4 million scheme will see machines automatically dispensing methadone installed in half the 140 prisons in England and Wales.

The machines, which allow prisoners to access the drug directly by scanning their fingerprint or iris, are already operating in 57 prisons.

Shadow justice secretary Dominic Grieve, who uncovered details of the scheme, said it amounted to an "admission of failure" in attempts to get addicts clean.

The total cost of the machines exceeds by £1 million the amount spent on an abstinence programme aimed at getting addicts off drugs, he said.

He said: "The public will be shocked that ministers are spending more on methadone vending machines than the entire budget for abstinence-based treatments."

"Getting prisoners clean of drugs is one of the keys to getting them to go straight.

"We need to get prisoners off all drug addiction - not substitute one dependency for another. The Government's approach of trying to 'manage' addiction is an admission of failure."

http://www.metro.co.uk/news/article..._prisoners&in_article_id=703319&in_page_id=34

 

[Tchort]

I should like to add that 'abstinence programs' are complete failures. They simply do not work, almost 100% of the time. Meaning, even the 5%-10% of addicts who complete such programs, almost 100% of the time relapse within 2 years.

Maintenance programs have the best records of success, compliance, etc.

Excellent news, horrible propaganda.

 

[smackem]

Well duh abstinence only programs are better. We will just get the addicts to stop taking opiates. Its just THAT easy!

 

[Too many doses]

This is great, more access to treatment in any fashion is a plus IMO.

 

[qwe]

^ i believe methadone's rates are around 30-50%? somewhere around there, maybe even higher. iirc

 

[drug_mentor]

Great news for UK addicts. There will always be fuckwits crying about how MMT is replacing one addiction for another and that it is not "truly" clean but the figures speak for themselves.

 

[lil angel15]

Great initiative by the UK government. It will be interesting to see the associated figures over a period of time.

 

[sdripper]

Whoa! talk about prison against prisoner.

Unless, you guys think they will have a handle on it? Strong enough security and all?

 

[dankstersauce]

whats wrong with these people? Can't they 'just say no'?
WTF spending money on an effective program that actually helps steer people in the direction of treatment? god damn what is wrong with everyone? I think these prisoners would be much happier to enter treatment if they knew they'd get to do it cold turkey. everyone knows only pussies use bupe or 'done.

I've kicked dope in jail cell and all it did was make me pissed off, bitter and wanting to get high as soon as i got out of jail. Luckily for me I got put into treatment as soon as a left jail with one of those 'horrible' programs that substituted one dependency for another. And you know what? Being switched to bupe from heroin made me stay in treatment because I wanted to stay on bupe and get better.