The Elusive Goal of Drug-Free Prisons
BACKGROUND:
Although
there is a need for well-designed evaluations, international evidence shows
that drugs frequently enter prisons and enforcement efforts are said to be
linked to adverse events.
OBJECTIVES:
This
study sought to examine drug enforcement within a federal prison system,
overseen by the Correctional Service of Canada (CSC), and to detail competing
perspectives.
METHODS:
Three
main sources of data were used in this qualitative study: 16 interviews
conducted between 2010 and 2012 with former CSC senior officials, former
frontline staff, and external stakeholders; CSC research publications and other
documents; and transcripts from a relevant House of Commons Standing Committee
public study. All texts were coded and compared to examine emergent themes of
interest.
RESULTS:
Six key
themes are described as contested effects of enhanced in-prison drug
enforcement: (1) continued and creative efforts to bring in drugs; (2) climate
of tensions and violence; (3) prisoners switching their drug use; (4)
health-related harms; (5) deterrence of visitors; and (6) staff involvement in
the in-prison drug trade.
CONCLUSIONS:
Urgently needed are rigorous
evaluations of in-prison drug enforcement, along with closer scrutiny of policy
recommendations that uphold the goal of drug-free prisons. Studying similar
prison systems as complex risk-managing organizations may offer new information
about drug enforcement policy and practice resistance despite detrimental
effects.
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