Chakrapani Venkatesan, Kamei Ram, Kipgen Hoineilam, Kh Jayanta Kumar
Chairperson at the Centre for Sexuality and Health Research and Policy (C-SHaRP), Chennai, India.
Int J Prison Health. 2013;9(2):82-91. doi: 10.1108/17449201311326952.
The authors aimed to examine the incarceration experiences of injecting drug users in accessing harm reduction, and HIV-related services inside prisons in India.
DESIGN/METHODOLOGY/APPROACH: The authors conducted three focus groups with a purposive sample of 23 formerly incarcerated male IDUs and four key informant interviews with a former police official, a drug dealer and service providers. Data were analyzed using a constant comparative method.
Participants reported availability of alcohol and injectable or oral drugs such as heroin, dextropropoxyphene, and marijuana inside prisons. Inmates obtained drugs and clean syringes (one syringe bought for 2.5-4 USD) through prison staff, and collected used syringes and needles from the dustbins in prison sickrooms. Needles and syringes were reused and shared. Prisons did not have needle and syringe programmes, detoxification, overdose management or opioid substitution treatment. Drug-using prison inmates faced several challenges in accessing antiretroviral treatment and HIV testing.
The authors' findings emphasize the need to protect the health of injection drug-using inmates by introducing harm reduction programmes and removing barriers to HIV testing and antiretroviral treatment.
ORIGINALITY/VALUE: This study illustrates, for the first time, the contexts behind high risk injecting drug use behaviours among prison inmates in India. It also highlights the lack of availability of harm reduction services such as needle and syringe programmes, drug detoxification and opioid substitution treatment inside prisons. Further, it demonstrates the difficulties faced by HIV-positive prison inmates in getting timely and uninterrupted antiretroviral treatment.
作者旨在调查印度监狱中注射吸毒者在获取减少伤害及与艾滋病毒相关服务方面的监禁经历。
设计/方法/途径：作者对23名曾被监禁的男性注射吸毒者进行了有目的抽样的三个焦点小组访谈，并对一名前警官、一名毒贩和服务提供者进行了四次关键 informant 访谈。使用持续比较法对数据进行分析。
参与者报告称监狱内有酒精以及注射或口服药物，如海洛因、右丙氧芬和大麻。囚犯通过监狱工作人员获取毒品和清洁注射器（一支注射器售价为2.5至4美元），并从监狱病房的垃圾桶中收集用过的注射器和针头。针头和注射器被重复使用和共享。监狱没有针头和注射器项目、戒毒、过量用药管理或阿片类药物替代治疗。吸毒囚犯在获取抗逆转录病毒治疗和艾滋病毒检测方面面临诸多挑战。
作者的研究结果强调需要通过引入减少伤害项目以及消除艾滋病毒检测和抗逆转录病毒治疗的障碍来保护注射吸毒囚犯的健康。
原创性/价值：本研究首次阐明了印度监狱囚犯中高风险注射吸毒行为背后的背景情况。它还凸显了监狱内缺乏针头和注射器项目、戒毒和阿片类药物替代治疗等减少伤害服务。此外，它展示了艾滋病毒呈阳性的监狱囚犯在及时且不间断地获得抗逆转录病毒治疗方面所面临的困难。
