Addiction to drugs rife in jails
Peter Ker
January 14, 2008
PRISON authorities have expanded drug detection tests in Victorian jails after discovering an increasing number of inmates abusing a heroin addiction substitute.
The addition of the drug buprenorphine to Corrections Victoria's drug-testing regime comes amid a separate review into the administration of drug users in prisons, and new statistics that reveal scores of prisoners remain drug-dependent while in Victorian prisons.
Buprenorphine is a semi-synthetic opiate introduced in Victoria in the late 1990s as a treatment for heroin dependency in cases where methadone was deemed inappropriate.
Corrections Victoria spokeswoman Christine Panayotou said trends had "indicated an increase in (its) use by prisoners".
"Drug trends change and as such the testing regime must also change to ensure effective deterrence and detection," she said.
The three-month trial of buprenorphine tests is expected to begin in coming weeks.
Professor Nick Crofts, from Melbourne University's Nossal Institute, said that although buprenorphine was a treatment drug, it also offered users a "high", increasing its likelihood of being abused.
Corrections Victoria randomly tests about 50 prisoners each week for a range of drugs.
Documents obtained by The Age under freedom of information laws reveal that hundreds of Victorian prisoners are being convicted of drug offences, despite being in custody.
Since January 2006, the number of inmates regarded as having the most "entrenched drug behaviours" rose to as many as 93. These prisoners are those found guilty of an offence such as trafficking drugs into prison who then refuse to join drug-free incentive programs. They are banned from contact visits with friends and family for up to a year.
The documents also reveal that between January 2006 and March last year, the number of prisoners convicted of cannabis-related offences in prison was significantly lower than the number of prisoners convicted of offences involving other drugs.
Corrections Commissioner Kelvin Anderson said the phenomenon was linked to the abuse of prescribed medications.
"It's probably easier for a prisoner to try and do that than to try and introduce the stuff into the prison system, and cannabis obviously would have to come in from the outside," he said.
Mr Anderson confirmed that Corrections Victoria had recently held a re-evaluation of its "Identified Drug User (IDU)" program for handling inmates who are convicted of drug offences while behind bars.
He said the program would remain, but authorities were considering whether it would be more effective if it were more easily understood and accessible for prisoners, family members and corrections staff.
But Professor Crofts said Victorian prisons would never be free of drugs. "Drugs are an issue in prison because of boredom and lack of meaningful occupation. Until the prison system is reformed … then you are going to continue to have a demand for drugs," he said.
