Dolan Kate, Rodas Ana
Professor, based at National Drug and Alcohol Research Centre, UNSW, Sydney, Australia.
Int J Prison Health. 2014;10(2):111-7. doi: 10.1108/IJPH-06-2013-0025.
Prisoners have a high level of drug use prior to imprisonment. Many inmates report having injected drugs and using cannabis. Prison authorities employed a range of strategies to detect drugs and drug use in prison. However, it was unclear which supply reduction strategies operated, and the prevalence and types of drugs detected in Australian prisons. The purpose of this paper is to examine supply reduction strategies in Australian prisons. Information on searches for drugs, and from inmate urinalysis was collected. The study focussed on adults in fulltime custody in Australia in 2009.
DESIGN/METHODOLOGY/APPROACH: A representative of all corrective services departments and justice health services was asked to complete a questionnaire on supply reduction strategies, including searches for drugs and drug testing of inmates.
The two main supply reduction strategies identified in all Australian prisons were the use of drug detection dogs and urinalysis programs. Despite an extensive use of drug searches and urinalysis, the detection of drugs was modest for both strategies. The most commonly used drug was cannabis with the detection of drugs such as amphetamines and heroin being very low.
RESEARCH LIMITATIONS/IMPLICATIONS: Prison inmates have a history of high levels of drug use prior to imprisonment. However, the supply reduction measures of drug detection dogs and urinalysis indicate that drug use was low in Australian prisons.
The paper recommends that urinalysis comprises targeting testing regimes and that random testing ceases in order to be a more cost effective use of resources for drug detection.
ORIGINALITY/VALUE: The study is the first report on the range of supply reduction measures in Australian prisons and, possibly in the world. Both measures were employed extensively across the country and finds of drugs and drug use were relatively low. Two possible conclusions can be drawn; that either drug use was very low in prison or that it was well concealed from the authorities. A comparison of random testing with targeted testing of inmates, where the former yields fewer positive results shows drug use was likely to be low rather than well concealed.
囚犯在入狱前吸毒率很高。许多囚犯报告曾注射毒品和吸食大麻。监狱当局采用了一系列策略来检测监狱内的毒品及吸毒情况。然而，尚不清楚哪些减少毒品供应的策略在发挥作用，以及在澳大利亚监狱中检测到的毒品流行情况和种类。本文的目的是研究澳大利亚监狱中减少毒品供应的策略。收集了有关毒品搜查以及囚犯尿液分析的信息。该研究聚焦于2009年澳大利亚全职关押的成年囚犯。
设计/方法/途径：要求所有惩教服务部门和司法卫生服务部门的代表填写一份关于减少毒品供应策略的问卷，包括毒品搜查和囚犯毒品检测。
在澳大利亚所有监狱中确定的两个主要减少毒品供应策略是使用缉毒犬和尿液分析计划。尽管广泛进行了毒品搜查和尿液分析，但这两种策略的毒品检测率都不高。最常用的毒品是大麻，而安非他明和海洛因等毒品的检测率非常低。
研究局限/影响：囚犯在入狱前有吸毒史。然而，缉毒犬和尿液分析等减少毒品供应措施表明，澳大利亚监狱中的吸毒情况较少。
本文建议尿液分析应包括有针对性的检测制度，停止随机检测，以便更经济高效地利用资源进行毒品检测。
原创性/价值：该研究是关于澳大利亚监狱（可能也是世界范围内）一系列减少毒品供应措施的首份报告。这两种措施在全国广泛使用，但毒品及吸毒情况的发现相对较少。可以得出两个可能的结论：要么监狱中的吸毒情况非常少，要么吸毒行为被当局很好地隐瞒了。对囚犯随机检测和有针对性检测的比较表明，前者阳性结果较少，这说明吸毒情况可能较少而非被很好地隐瞒了。
