Harm Reduction and Law Enforcement
Submitted by NC Harm Reducti... on Mon, 08/15/2011 - 9:08pm
One in three law enforcement officers in areas without harm reduction programs can expect to be pricked by a potentially infectious needle during their tenure. With the risks that officers run every day to protect our communities from harm, it’s important that community members also do their part to protect the officers, for example, through the implementation of harm reduction programs. Syringe exchange programs (SEPs) that help keep dirty needles off our streets and parks are shown to reduce the risk of needle pricks for officers by 66%.
Corporal D.A. Jackson has served in law enforcement for over 26 years, 18 in the Guilford County Sheriff’s Department. She has seen firsthand the need for effective harm reduction programs in North Carolina and the benefits of these programs to law enforcement.
“In the past 26 years I’ve worked every kind of case from misdemeanors such as bicycle theft to homicides,” she says. “One of the main components of a law enforcement officer’s job is to conduct searches. We search people, homes, vehicles, and storage compartments; we stick our hands in places most people wouldn’t think to touch, and in every search we are at risk for needle-sticks and contracting infectious diseases. I support harm reduction programs because I’ll advocate for anything that protects my life and the lives of my fellow officers.”
Corporal Jackson understands the benefits of harm reduction programs to law enforcement, but not all officers share her view. Many fear that SEPs encourage drug use, though in fact, numerous studies by the Institute of Medicine have demonstrated that SEPs actually decrease drug use, crime, and needle-sticks.
“Drug addiction is a serious problem,” says Corp. Jackson, “but I believe in helping people. Harm reduction is a win-win situation because not only do these programs help protect officers from needle-sticks, they also create an opportunity for dialogue that can lead to rehabilitation for drug users. It’s important for officers to see themselves as part of creating solutions to community issues, and not just booking crimes.”
Corporal Jackson is confident that harm reduction programs will eventually be adapted throughout North Carolina. “It will take time,” she says. “People will be resistant at first, but it will happen and law enforcement will be a part of the solution.”
*The content of this article is based on the personal opinions of Corp. Jackson and does not reflect the views of the Guilford County Sheriff’s Department.
Conference on Drug Use and Sex Work in the South
Conference: “Reducing Harm & Building Communities: Addressing Drug Use in the South”
September 8 & 9, 2011, RTI International, North Carolina
Key Discussion Areas Include:
*Southern Harm Reduction 101
*Harm Reduction approaches to crack use, injection drug use and sex work
*HIV and Hepatitis C in the South
*Social justice in the South
*Harm Reduction and law enforcement
*Overdose prevention overview and program implementation
*Implementing evidenced based programs
*Advocacy strategies for individuals and communities impacted by drug use
*Mental Health, Drug Use and Harm Reduction
*Combating stigma towards drug users
*Faith and Drug Use in the South
*Fundraising and grant writing to fund programs
*Human rights of drug users and sex workers in the South
*HIV Criminalization
Location:
RTI International
3040 East Cornwallis Road
Research Triangle Park, NC 27709-2194
Date: September 8- 9, 2011
Register online at http://www.nchrc.net
Conference on Drug Use in the South is Necessary for NC
On Thursday, Sept 8th & Friday, Sept 9th, leaders of Southern nonprofits, human rights groups, policy makers, concerned citizens, public health officials and academics will gather to discuss drug use and sex work in the South and its implications for communities. With North Carolina having over 230,000 crack smokers and injection drug users, 17 million prescriptions for oxycodone issued for the state’s 9 million residents, and with drug overdose as NC’s 4th leading cause of death for 18-50 year olds, drug use and its effects permeate each of our communities. I recommend that anyone affected by this attend the conference. Our current policies have failed, it is time to look at new ways to address the problem. I believe Bob Scott, former Captain of the Macon County Sheriff's Office in Franklin, NC said it best:
“I have seen the violent impact of the drug war from the perspective of a journalist and a law enforcement officer,” says conference speaker Bob Scott, former Captain at the Macon County Sheriff’s office. “Now as the ravages of the HIV/AIDS epidemic sweep through our communities, felling loved ones who have become addicted, I say there is something we can do to turn the tide.”
WHAT: Conference on Drug Use and Sex Work in the South
WHO: Hosted by the NC Harm Reduction Coalition, Research Triangle Institute, Atlanta Harm Reduction Center, Women With a Vision and the Harm Reduction Coalition
WHEN: Thurs, Sept 8th and Fri, Sept 9th from 9am-5pm
WHERE: RTI International, 3040 East Cornwallis Rd, Research Triangle Park, NC
WHO ELSE WILL BE THERE? The conference will bring together progressive and conservative activists & Democrats and members of the Tea Party, as well as organizations such as Human Rights Watch, North Carolina Harm Reduction Coalition, Sex Workers Without Borders, UNC, Duke, Law Enforcement Against Prohibition, Women with A Vision and Atlanta Harm Reduction to foster discussion and to look for solutions. Members of law enforcement and the N.C. legislature will join active sex workers and drug users on topics such as social justice, strategies to prevent HIV and hepatitis among drug users, overdose prevention, pill use in the South, drug policy reform, and syringe exchange. Other key discussion areas include drug use among migrant workers, sex workers, military veterans and people of transgender experience.
Robert Childs, MPH