The furthest left behind: the urgent need to scale up harm reduction in prisons

Purpose Raise awareness about the disproportionate impact of HIV and hepatitis C (HCV) on prisoners worldwide and the need for key harm reduction services such as needle and syringe programmes and opioid substitution therapy in prisons offer practical recommendations to assist policy makers in implementing or scaling up these services. The paper aims to discuss these issues. Design/methodology/approach This study is a desk review of existing data and evidence on HIV, HCV and harm reduction in prisons, analysis of political barriers and formulation of key policy recommendations. Findings Harm reduction works, yet service provision in prisons remains extremely limited. There is an urgent need for governments to enhance political leadership and funding for harm reduction in prisons. Authorities must also work to remove obstacles to the implementation of harm reduction services in prisons, enhance the monitoring and evaluation of laws, policies and programmes relating to HIV, HCV and drugs in prison settings, and recognise access to harm reduction in prisons as a fundamental human right. Until these obstacles are addressed, the world will not meet the Sustainable Development Goal of eradicating HIV and HCV by 2030. Originality/value More than just a desk review, this policy brief provides a political analysis of the harm reduction crisis in prisons and offers clear-cut recommendations for policy makers.