Priorities for change

UK prisons do not offer clean needles to allow prisoners who are injecting drugs or tattooing to protect themselves from HIV infection. Although needle exchanges have been successfully introduced in prisons in other countries in Europe, the UK Government is unwilling to introduce without UK specific evidence. We want to see a prison needle exchange pilot in the UK to establish the benefits of providing clean needles where they are needed.

Access to condoms in UK prisons is variable and often poor, and condoms are not available at all in prisons in Northern Ireland.  We're calling for improved and easy access to condoms in prisons across the UK and specifically for condoms to be made available in Northern Ireland prisons.

The last survey to establish HIV prevalence in prisons was conducted in 1997, which showed that HIV prevalence in prisons is significantly higher than in the general population. NAT wants to see a follow up anonymous serosurvey of HIV and hepatitis C infection conducted in UK prisons as a matter of urgency.  We do not have data on HIV diagnosis and treatment or on HIV/hepatitis C co-infection in prisons so as a priority we need to establish up to date facts both of HIV prevalence in UK prisons and of new infections occurring in prisons.

HIV and Hepatitis in UK prisons

A survey we conducted with the Prison Reform Trust among prison healthcare managers across the UK in 2005 raised serious concerns about how HIV and Hepatitis C in UK prisons were being addressed.

A third of prisons surveyed had no HIV policy, one in five had no hepatitis C policy and well over half had no sexual health policy. The survey also found that many prisoners did not have appropriate access to condoms, disinfecting tablets, clean needles or healthcare information and so were not able to protect themselves from HIV if injecting drugs or having unprotected sex whilst in prison.

Read the survey report HIV and Hepatitis in UK Prisons: Addressing prisoners' healthcare needs.

In response to the survey we produced a practical guide for people who have responsibility for the health and wellbeing of prisoners. If you are working in prisons visit our section on meeting the needs of people living with HIV .

Submission to the European Court of Human Rights on Needle Exchange

A case was brought to the European Court of Human Rights, by John Shelley, an ex-prisoner who claimed that the failure to provide clean injecting equipment to drug users in prison violated his human rights.

NAT was granted the status of 'intervenor' by the court and presented a submission outlining the evidence which supports the introduction of needle exchange in prisons because of the harm minimisation benefits relating to HIV. Read the submission on the case.  Unfortunately John Shelley lost his case but NAT is continuing to campaign on this important issue.
 
To share your thoughts and experiences on tackling HIV and other blood-borne viruses in prison please contact policyandcampaigns@nat.org.uk .