Flexistentialist
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Govt mulls needle exchange program for jail inmates
The ACT Government is considering giving needles and syringes to inmates at Canberra's new prison in a bid to stop the spread of disease.
If the plan gets the go-ahead, it would be the country's first jail to implement the scheme.
The city's first jail will open in about two years and Health Minister Simon Corbell says the move would help prevent the spread of diseases like HIV and hepatitis A.
"Drugs get into prisons - that is a fact of life, even in maximum security prisons and we know that they are injected and we know that needles are shared in prisons - it happens right around Australia," he said.
"So the issue for us is how can we minimise the spread of disease that comes from that type of behaviour."
Greens MLA Deb Foskey says a needle exchange program should be introduced so inmates are provided with the same level of health care as the general public.
Ms Foskey says prisoners need to be protected against diseases like HIV and hepatitis A.
"We all know that drugs are used in prisons, it's not possible to rule it out, so we really should be making sure that the health of users is safeguarded because people aren't in prison forever," she said.
The Australian Hepatitis Council has called for the ACT Government to implement the needle and syringe program for Canberra inmates.
Hepatitis council president Stuart Loveday says the benefits of the program would also be felt by the wider community.
"Because needle and syringe programs are widely available in the general community we think it's vitally important, both as a human rights issue and as a public health issue, to have that health service equivalent inside jails as well," he said.
The ACT Government is expected to make a final decision within a year.