Inmates in five Canadian federal prisons can now get their tattoos done for $5 a pop. As part of a government pilot project started in August, tattoo parlours were opened and prisoners hired as tattoo artists. The move is part of a new government initiative to stop the spread of infectious diseases like HIV/AIDS and hepatitis C (HCV) in the prison system.
According to Correctional Service Canada (CSC), in 2002 there were 1,856 inmates infected with HCV that were released into the community. There were 183 HIV-positive inmates released the same year.
These diseases are contracted more often in prisons than in the general Canadian population -about 10 times more for HIV and almost 30 times more for HCV, according to a recent survey of Canadian prisons. They’re transmitted through blood or bodily fluids.
Because inmates don’t have access to sterile equipment or needles, they make do with whatever they can find. Makeshift tattoo needles are made from staples, knives or pens and are passed from one inmate to the other. By creating the parlours, they’re providing access to safe, clean equipment for the tattoos that inmates will get, regardless of hygiene.
This may also have opened the door to other prevention measures in prisons, like needle exchange programs for intravenous drug users. Canada has over 100 syringe exchange programs; the first official one started in Vancouver in 1989. But Canadian federal prisons have never adopted this harm reduction measure.
The idea behind needle exchange programs is to reduce the amount of harm caused by drug addiction. By providing sterile needles, the frequency of needle-sharing is reduced and infectious diseases are less likely to be transmitted. This harm reduction measure deals with the reality of these addictions and tries to lessen the harm caused by them, rather than trying to stop them entirely.
These programs don’t condone illegal drug use. Needle exchanges are usually operated in conjunction with prevention programs. In the long term, users are directed towards counseling and rehabilitation.
Since 1992, prison-based needle exchange programs have been established in Spain, Germany, Switzerland, Moldova, Kyrgyzstan and Belarus. There have been numerous reports since that year which recommended a similar program for Canadian prisons.
The first such recommendation was made by the Prisoners with AIDS Support Action Network in 1992. The CSC itself put out two reports advocating these programs, in 1994 and 1999. The Canadian Human Rights Commission made a similar recommendation in 2003 and the Ontario Medical Association, one of the largest doctors’ organizations in Canada, called for Canadian prison needle exchange programs in 2004.
Despite all these recommendations, and the obvious health benefits that these programs would provide, the government has held back from implementing needle exchanges. What’s stopping them?
The Public Health Agency of Canada and the CSC recently signed an agreement to look into the benefits and risks of a prison-based syringe exchange program. But the government commissioned the CSC’s Study Group on Needle Exchange Programs to look into it six years ago. Why didn’t they act then?
For too long, these viruses have been allowed to spread through Canada’s prisons. The tattoo parlour pilot project is a step in the right direction, but it’s only the first step. Why should prison sentences continue to be potential death sentences for some inmates, while others spread diseases upon their release?
The government has a responsibility to look at the research that’s already been done on prison needle exchanges and realize that the benefits far outweigh the risks.