26 May 2022
Organized by UNODC Prevention, Treatment and Rehabilitation Section, co-sponsored by Australia, Norway, UNODC Crime Prevention and Criminal Justice Section and the Vienna NGO Committee in coordination with the Alliance of NGOs on Crime Prevention and Criminal Justice
On 26 May 2023, the UNODC Prevention, Treatment and Rehabilitation Section, jointly with Australia, Norway, the UNODC Crime Prevention and Criminal Justice Section, the Vienna NGO Committee and the Alliance on NGOs on Crime Prevention and Criminal Justice held a side event on “Rethinking Criminal Justice Responses in addressing overdose in the criminal justice system”.
The event, which was held at the margins of the 32nd Commission on Crime Prevention and Criminal Justice, was opened by Ms Giovanna Campello, Chief of the UNODC Prevention, Treatment and Rehabilitation Section, who highlighted the importance of multisectoral and multicomponent responses to effectively address overdoses in the criminal justice system.
Overdose deaths in prison settings, especially in the post-release period are highly elevated. It is therefore crucial that relevant stakeholders receive the right tools to prevent and treat overdoses. As the panelist nominated by the Norwegian government, Professor Thomas Clausen from the University of Oslo stated, “When you walk out of the gates [of prison], that is when your risk [of mortality] is at the highest.” It is therefore even more necessary to ensure that the right mechanisms to prevent overdoses are in place. The importance of diverting people with drug use disorders in contact with the criminal justice system to treatment as alternatives to incarceration was further highlighted. As Professor Michael Farrell, Director of the National Drug and Alcohol Research Centre, nominated by the Australian government, stated, “Overall evidence suggests that people who commit minor offences and have drug related issues should be diverted into the healthcare system to prevent reoffending”. This is in line with other scientific evidence that calls to decrease the prison population to ensure a safer and healthier environment for people with drug use disorders in contact with the criminal justice system.
The event featured five panelists from different regions who provided valuable insights on their strategies in addressing overdoses in the criminal justice system. The importance of access to naloxone across the community, including the criminal justice system and upon prison release was highlighted, and country examples of naloxone use were presented.
This side event marked a momentous occasion, bringing together stakeholders from different backgrounds to address the global issue of drug overdoses, including in the criminal justice system. Treating drug use disorders in the criminal justice system, including prison setting not only depends on overall policy guidance, but also on the level and nature of collaboration between criminal justice and public health sectors. As Mr Rekpene Effiom Bassey, the founding president of the African Council on Narcotics (ACON), nominated by the Vienna NGO Committee in coordination with the Alliance of NGOs on Crime Prevention and Criminal Justice stated, “A multisectoral partnership [such as drug demand reduction training for law enforcement officers] can provide a more complete picture of substance use and overdoses in the criminal justice system, facilitating a systemic response”, highlighting the need for a holistic partnership between health and justice authorities to ensure that no one is left behind.
Further reading:
https://www.unodc.org/documents/drug-prevention-and-treatment/UNODC_TX_in_Prisons_March22.pdf
The United Nations Standard Minimum Rules for the Treatment of Prisoners (the Nelson Mandela Rules)
Status report on prison health in the WHO European Region 2022
