Inmates could use syringes provided by detention establishments within their cells, notably in Laval and Cowansville, a program which already exists elsewhere in Canada, but which constitutes a first in Quebec.
Last spring, a new supervised injection program was implemented at the Drummondville penitentiary.
Prisoners can inject drugs they have obtained illegally, including by drones, under the supervision of health professionals responsible for intervening in the event of an overdose and to prevent the transmission of infectious diseases.
The syringes provided to the Laval and Cowansville detention centers could, however, find themselves circulating in the cells, TVA Nouvelles learned on Monday.
Concretely, prisoners will be able to inject drugs with sterile syringes directly in their cell, therefore without supervision.
Although this is a first in Quebec, it is however far from being the case in Canada, since a federal needle exchange program in prisons has existed since 2018 and has since been deployed almost everywhere in detention centers across Canada.
However, the implementation of this needle exchange program worries correctional officers, who fear for their safety and that of inmates.
The Union of Canadian Correctional Officers also says it is concerned about an increase in violence and an increase in crime.
Prisoners also worried
It’s not just the officers who are concerned and opposed to this program: the inmates too.
According to the union, more than half of the inmates at the facility signed a petition indicating that they would disagree with this needle exchange program.
“Before an individual can participate in the [programme]CSC must ensure that it is appropriate to allow this person to have a syringe in their possession. To do this, it carries out a threat and risk assessment, as for the EpiPen and insulin syringes,” indicated the Correctional Service of Canada (CSC).
He also mentions that “at 1is November 2024, no syringes provided under the [programme] was used to attack an employee or an inmate.
The supervised injection program in Drummondville appears to be under control, according to the union, while very low traffic has been observed so far.
