Injecting drug use and infectious diseases in prisons: The high burden of systemic failures

About this webinar: This webinar presents findings from two comprehensive global systematic reviews: one on the prevalence of injecting drug use and infectious diseases among incarcerated populations, and another on the availability and coverage of harm reduction and treatment services in carceral settings. It also discusses regional disparities, implementation gaps, and policy implications for achieving global health targets. About the speakers: Scientia Professor Louisa Degenhardt is an epidemiologist and NHMRC Senior Principal Research Fellow, and Deputy Director at NDARC, UNSW Sydney. Her work focuses on the health and social impacts of illicit drug use, including large cohort and data linkage studies on opioid dependence, mental health and incarceration. She has contributed to global burden of disease estimates and international guidelines, and her research informs policy and practice to reduce drug-related harms in community and criminal justice settings. Dr Thomas Santo Jr is a Postdoctoral Research Fellow at NDARC, UNSW Sydney. His research focuses on drug dependence, comorbid mental health and trauma, and criminal justice involvement. He uses observational data, including large-scale linked health and justice datasets, to examine post-release health and social outcomes and to evaluate access to, and impact of, interventions for drug dependence in prison and community settings. His recent work includes a global review of access to services for blood-borne viruses, opioid dependence and needle and syringe programs in prisons.