Health and drug use in penitentiary institutions in Spain. ESDIP 2022 survey

In February and March 2022, the Government Delegation for the National Plan on Drugs completed the fourth edition of the survey on the prison population (men and women over 18 years of age) in 78 Spanish prisons.

The aim of this survey was to obtain data on socio-demographic characteristics, health, drug use, high-risk practices and treatment for drug use in the prison population in Spain, the aim being to gather useful information to develop and evaluate programs and interventions aimed at preventing and reducing drug use and associated problems in this population.

A face-to-face personal interview was carried out using a digitalized, anonymous and pre-coded questionnaire (available in Spanish and Arabic) with 5,512 inmates.

The study reveals that the prevalence of drug use when entering prison decreases for all drugs; this decrease is most striking in alcohol and cocaine use. A downward trend in the prevalence of use in prison was observed for most illegal drugs. Cannabis, which is the most widely used illegal drug, shows a clear downward trend, with its use falling to one third of what it was in 2006.

The study leads us to conclude that preventive and treatment measures are optimal tools that should continue to be oriented towards the characteristics and profile of this population, which requires a multidisciplinary approach and coordination by the agents and institutions involved. A prison sentence is an opportunity to improve the health of the prison population and to carry out prevention and treatment programs. Work should continue to be done to reduce drug use and the associated risks and problems.