War on Drugs Film: The House I Live In, Wins at Sundance

Judging from the trailers, pre-views, and reviews, Eugene has put together a really terrific documentary which takes a fair and realistic look at the war on drugs begun by US president Nixon.  While a significant amount of damage caused by the war on drugs has taken place in the US, its impacts have been felt worldwide and sometimes the impacts outside the US have been worse than those inside the US.
Eugene interviews mostly people from the US but also includes researchers, social workers, and doctors from around the world.  Included is Gabor Mate.  A downtown, eastside addictions and methadone doctor in Vancouver, world renowned for his work.
See what SOROS Open Society Foundation, an organization which supports action defending human rights, had to say about Eugene's film and then follow the link to see a pre-view of the film and interview with Eugene hosted by Democracy Now.

Soros Justice Fellow Eugene Jarecki recently won the top documentary prize at the 2012 Sundance Film Festival for his work The House I Live In. The film offers a range of perspectives on the failed war on drugs, fostering a more informed and honest dialogue about drug use, addiction, race, and incarceration in the United States.

 http://blog.soros.org/2012/02/an-honest-look-at-the-war-on-drugs-wins-at-sundance/?utm_source=Open+Society+Institute&utm_campaign=c7bf5dceed-news-20120209&utm_medium=email

Stephen Harper's Bad Idea: Bill C-10 and the Strategy to Fill Our Prisons

The following article by Joan Ruzsa from Rittenhouse (also posted on the New Socialist) pulls together many of the important points about the Omnibus crime Bill.  Joan provides some really sharp points and contradictions within this Bill that we should all be thinking about.                                                                                                                                                   Joan Ruzsa has been the coordinator of Rittenhouse, an abolitionist agency that advocates for alternatives to incarceration, since 2000.  She also works at PASAN (Prisoners with HIV/AIDS Support Action Network) and is studying to become a psychotherapist.

By Joan Ruzsa I remember when the Harper government first introduced a bill (then called C-15) to create mandatory minimum sentences for drug crimes. I was struck by something when reading the parliamentary debates on the issue. Not only did the opposition parties point to numerous position papers that discounted the efficacy of mandatory minimums, but even the Conservatives' own research clearly showed that harsher sentences have no deterrent effect on crime. Governments and corporations commission studies all the time, and are usually able to get the results massaged in a way that reinforces their position. How bad must an idea be when even the people you hand-pick to study it can't find anything worthwhile in it? I remember feeling confident that there was no way the Conservatives would be successful in getting this bill passed. And initially C-15 died in parliament, but the federal government continued to doggedly pursue it, along with a number of other fear-based "law-and-order" initiatives. Harper and his people kept telling us that we needed to be "tough on crime" to protect our communities from increasing numbers of dangerous people. The only problem with that argument is that both the crime rate and the crime severity index have been steadily dropping in Canada since 1994. Then, in the summer of 2010, Stockwell Day informed reporters that the government's $9 billion proposed expenditure to build new prisons was necessitated by a rise in "unreported crime." Of course he was laughed out of the room, but a week later a smug article appeared in the Toronto Sun crowing that Day's assertion had been backed up by polling data. Even if that were true, "unreported" crime, by virtue of being unreported, does not end up in the court or correctional systems, and so has no bearing on prison populations. Self-Fulfilling Prophecy So what do you do when you have a factually insupportable crime agenda? You create a self-fulfilling prophecy. Even before Harper won a "majority" in May 2011, his government was already putting their plan to fill the jails into action. In November of 2009, they passed a law getting rid of the 2-for-1 credit for people in remand. Up until that point, judges had the discretion to reduce people's sentences by two days for every day they spent in pre-trial custody. This was meant in some small way to compensate for the horrible conditions people had to endure, sometimes for months at a time, while awaiting trial, mostly because they were not in a financial position to post bail. By eliminating the 2-for-1 credit, the government clearly showed its indifference to the inhumane treatment of people who have not been convicted of any crime, in a country whose judicial system has a presumption of innocence and enshrines the right to a "speedy trial." Then in March of 2011, with the support of the Bloc Quebecois, the Conservatives passed Bill C-59, abolishing Accelerated Parole Reviews. These Parole Reviews had allowed people convicted of non-violent offences to get day parole after serving 1/6 of their sentence, and full parole after serving 1/3 of their sentence. By eliminating the 2-for-1 credit and Accelerated Parole Reviews, the Harper government guaranteed that people would spend more time behind bars. Creating More Criminals And then of course there is Bill C-10, inaccurately titled "The Safe Streets and Communities Act." Introduced in parliament on September 20th, C-10 brings together nine crime bills that the government was unsuccessful in passing previously. This omnibus bill, if passed as it is written now, will ensure that our prisons are full to overflowing, thus justifying Harper's construction plans. However, the prisons will not be packed because there is more actual crime happening, but because the government is criminalizing more communities and behaviours, as well as net-widening to create more incarcerable offences. They are also trying to enact legislation that will make it harder for prisoners to get out of jail, and easier for law enforcement to throw people back into jail. On the front end, we have mandatory minimums, changes to the youth justice act, and the elimination of house arrest (also called conditional sentencing) for many crimes. Mandatory minimums (Bill S-10) take away judicial discretion. Until now, judges have been able to look at mitigating circumstances and make decisions about sentencing based on the accused person's level of involvement in the crime, history, family or employment situation, etc. Now someone caught with as few as six marijuana plants will be charged with trafficking and receive a minimum jail sentence of 6 months. Changes to the youth justice act (Bill C-4) will result in more youth being held in pre-trial custody, more youth bring tried in adult court and sent to adult prisons, and increased custodial sentences rather than community sentences (like probation or community service). And Bill C-16, which is touted as eliminating house arrest for "serious" crimes, will result in jail time for people convicted for minor and property crimes. Bill C-10 will also impose considerable additional hardships on people while they're in prison. Bill C-39 removes language about rehabilitation and reintegration from the purpose of federal corrections in the Corrections and Conditional Release Act, focusing solely on "the protection of society" as the paramount consideration. There is already very little effective or easily available rehabilitative programming inside Canadian prisons, especially for people serving long sentences, so with this language removed federal prisoners are even less likely to receive essential programs. This is particularly troubling in light of the bill's strengthened focus on prisoners having to complete their correctional plan before their release. It creates a Catch-22 where a prisoner's future freedom is dependent on services that are not made accessible to him/her. This bill also removes the language that the "least restrictive measures" must be used by guards to control prisoners. This will undoubtedly lead to more staff-on-prisoner violence and other potential human rights violations. It also adds new institutional charges, including "disrespecting" correctional staff, which can lead to punishments such as segregation and the restriction of family visits. C-39 also makes it significantly more difficult for prisoners to get parole. On the back end, with Bill 23B the term "pardon" is being replaced by the term "record suspension," the waiting periods will be longer before someone can apply, and certain convictions will make one altogether ineligible for a record suspension. Without having their criminal records expunged, it will be much more difficult for ex-prisoners to find employment, and make it more likely that they will reoffend and end up back in jail. Bill C-39 proposes another amendment that would allow police officers to arrest someone without a warrant, if the officer "feels" that the person might be breaking their parole conditions. It is often said that once people get involved in the criminal system, it is very hard for them to get out. With this legislation, the revolving door keeps picking up speed. Meanwhile, the opposition to these draconian responses to crime has been growing. Quebec and Ontario have refused to pay the astronomical costs associated with the bill. The Canadian Bar Association came out with a list of ten reasons to oppose the bill, and an association of defence lawyers from the US wrote an open letter to the Harper government imploring them not to go down the same road of mass incarceration that has been an utter failure there. Even Texas law enforcement officials told the Conservatives they were making a mistake. Texas is the state that uses the death penalty more than any other, and has seen fit to execute children and intellectually disabled people. If law enforcement from George W. Bush Country is telling you that your crime agenda is too harsh, you know there's a problem. The mainstream media, which often colludes with governments to create a culture of fear in which harsh laws will be accepted by the public, has for the most part gotten on board in denouncing the bill. And from a community perspective, many individuals and groups have come together to organize demos and events to discuss the devastating consequences of Bill C-10, particularly to already marginalized communities. "Warehouses for the Poor" So given all of the public outcry, and the complete lack of evidence that this bill will do anything to make our communities safer, why is Harper insisting on ramming C-10 through parliament as quickly as possible? Is his party full of rabid ideologues who actually believe that they have a mandate from the people to pass this legislation? Are they mean-spirited? Contemptuous of facts? Not very bright? While all of these things may play a part in the saga of C-10, I think there's a simpler answer. People who have stuff want to keep it, whether that stuff is money, material possessions or political power. Criminal laws were first instituted to ensure that wealthy people had their property protected, and that hasn't changed. The dominant culture has no interest in a shift in the balance of power. While C-10 may cost billions in taxpayers' dollars, a lot of rich people are going to get richer thanks to Harper's prison expansion plan. Many corporations have contracts with Correctional Services Canada (CSC). If you go to the CSC website and click on "Proactive Disclosure" and then "Disclosure of Contracts" you will get a sense of who is benefitting from the increased prison population. I have a sign in my office that says "Jails are warehouses for poor people." In fact, jails are warehouses for poor people; homeless people; Aboriginal people; people from racialized communities; people with physical and intellectual disabilities; survivors of physical, sexual and emotional abuse; psychiatric survivors; people who use drugs, queer and trans people; people living with HIV, and as we saw so clearly illustrated during the G20, people who express political dissent. People in power are invested in keeping things the same, and squashing those who have the nerve to suggest that things could be, and in fact should be, different. Prison in general, and Bill C-10 in particular, is a highly effective means of exerting social control. Whether it's Aboriginal people asking to have what was stolen returned to them, or other groups looking for the considerable wealth and resources of this country to be more equitably distributed, or simply those who challenge the status quo, locking people up and removing them from their communities is an effective way of silencing those voices. But all is not lost. The Senate refused to capitulate to Harper and pass C-10 before parliament broke for Christmas. This will give them more time to investigate the bill and hopefully make changes. And if worse comes to worse and it's passed as is … governments can be defeated, bills can be repealed, and a more compassionate, just society can be created. We just have to keep fighting. Joan Ruzsa has been the coordinator of Rittenhouse, an abolitionist agency that advocates for alternatives to incarceration, since 2000.  She also works at PASAN (Prisoners with HIV/AIDS Support Action Network) and is studying to become a psychotherapist.

Congress’s Holiday Message to People Who Use Drugs: Drop Dead

And the craziness continues in the land of the free and home of the brave....

Congress’s Holiday Message to People Who Use Drugs: Drop Dead

December 16, 2011 | by Zoe Hudson

Fifteen days ago, President Obama delivered a major speech, recommitting the United States to fight AIDS here and abroad. This week, Congress will once again prohibit the use of federal funds for syringe exchange. Almost 30 years into the epidemic, we are still having this fight. This ridiculous, unproductive fight. It  adds up to this: we deny people at extremely high risk of HIV the means to prevent infection.  
OR NOT!                 
By any measure, syringe exchange works. It dramatically reduces HIV infection without increasing drug use. Do you want to get drug users into treatment for addiction? Syringe exchange helps. Do you want to ensure that police officers aren't stuck with dirty needles in pat downs?
Syringe exchange helps. Do you want to reduce the number of people on costly lifetime treatment for AIDS? Syringe exchange helps. Do you want to remove dirty needles from parks and playgrounds? Syringe exchange helps.
There is absolutely no dispute about the scientific evidence on any of these fronts. Eight federally funded reviews found that syringe exchange reduces HIV without increasing drug use. It is endorsed by every major medical association, including the American Medical Association, the American Academy of Pediatrics, and the American Nurses Association. In 2008, the CDC concluded that the incidence of HIV among injection drug users had decreased by 80 percent in the U.S. over a 20-year period in part due to syringe exchange programs.

Two years ago Congress lifted the ban, giving states the option to use federal funds for syringe exchange.
Unfortunately, the reinstatement of the funding ban deals a lethal blow to HIV programs that are proven to work. State health departments with firsthand experience responding to injection drug use understand that peer-driven needle and syringe programs make their communities safer and healthier. In the midst of the fiscal crisis, many of these programs are being cut or scaled back, making federal funds all the more important. But sadly, once again politics trump public health.
Twelve percent of all new HIV infections in the U.S. are among injection drug users. We could bring that number to zero—and help people access treatment for addiction at the same time. But the Congress chooses not to.

Canadian Students for Sensible Drug Policy - Conference 2012

PROGRESS, NOT PRISONS

CSSDP National Conference 2012

Hosted by: University of Calgary CSSDP chapter

March 2 - 4, 2012 Calgary, Alberta

JOIN US at Canada's only national drug policy reform conference! Join students, young people, researchers, social workers, policy makers, activists, academics, curious onlookers, and more for an exciting weekend! The conference will feature panel discussions on pressing topics in drug policy, interactive workshops, student research presentations, chances to hang out with inspiring people, and more.  As Canada continues to increase the role of prisons and punishment in our society, we will come together to ask what 'progress' means for the current Canadian drug policy movement.

 http://cssdp.org/index.php/our-campaigns/80-conference2012/339-conference2012

Russia and Harm Reduction

In Russia, numbers of those with problematic drug use issues have been increasing. This is especially true where opiate narcotics are concerned.  The numbers of those dependent on heroin are increasing at alarming rates.  Reasons for this trend reflect the usual culprits.  Poverty, increased desperation, trauma.  Once hooked, users have little chance of escape.  Russia bans substitution therapies like methadone.   Government officials and health experts alike have publically stated that substitution therapies are "no way to treat addiction."  Leaders in psychiatry and addiction issued this statement: “The effective way to solve the problem of drug addiction treatment is an intensive search for and introduction of new methods and means that focus on complete cessation of drugs use by patients with addiction, their socialization into a new life style free from drugs, but not on exchanging from one drug to another.” With the high levels of poverty in Russia many users cannot afford to purchase heroin.  Desperate to shake off the terrible flu like symptoms, users have turned to a homemade substance referred to as "Krocodile". The technical term, desomorphine is a derivative of morphine.   It is cheap and made fairly simply from codeine, which does not require a prescription.  It won its street name, Krocodile because of its effects on the user.   Injected without further purification, Krocodile literally rots the flesh.  Skin becomes scaly and green. These symptoms are actually signs of phlebitis and gangrene. Some studies have estimated the life span of Krocodile users to be 2-3 years.

Russia is facing a time of great civil unrest. People are tired of the awful conditions under which they have been forced to struggle for many years, tired of the lack of commitment from their leaders regarding change, and sickened by wide spread corruption. While “leaders” feel they are entitled to take from the people, even while the people do without basic necessities.

It has finally become widely accepted in many parts of the world that those who use drugs problematically do so in order to temper emotional agony.  Finally the misinformed belief that  drug use itself is the problem has been put to rest. There are underlying issues which make it undesirable to stop. If getting high is your only means of escaping from terrible life circumstances, and depression, then people really have no right to demand that you simply quit without providing opportunity and hope.

Unfortunately many countries like Russia criminalise drug use itself, and the treatments (save abstinence) which are known to save lives. This creates conditions where drug users are unnecessarily exposed to HIV, and HCV; a mentality of judgment; stigma which prevents people from seeking medical treatment; and high rates of preventable deaths.

Russia is faced with the fastest growing HIV/AIDS epidemic in the world. And unlike many other countries sex is not the primary method of transmission. Injection drug use accounts for as many as 80% of new infections. See the following stats on Russia from 1996-2006 as documented by the UN.

• Of the nearly 400,000 people living with HIV approximately 14,000 are receiving treatment.

• 55% of those diagnosed with HIV are persons between 15-24 years of age.

Despite the degree of hopelessness, there are those who are fighting back and speaking out.

Alexei, a former prisoner advocates for drug users one person at a time. His sister is HIV positive and terrified to seek medical attention for fear of judgment and mis-treatment.

Read thier story here:
Tear Fund - Hope to the Marginalised

Masha Ovchinnikova is an activist and project coordinator at FrontAIDS, a Russian AIDS activist group in Moscow. The group advocates for expansion of needle distribution and exchange programs, as well as access to discrimination free AIDS treatment and for methadone maintenance programs to be widely instituted.

See their web page at: 
FrontAIDS

Super-jail plan to house 2,500 inmates: Union

By Rob Tripp, Postmedia News August 2, 2011

The Correctional Service of Canada will build maximum-security cellblocks inside medium-security prisons in Ontario and Manitoba, a move some observers say is a government scheme to create superprisons while avoiding public scrutiny and controversy.
"They tell you they're not going to build a super regional complex, but it's already here; it's going to happen," said Jason Godin, Ontario president of the union that represents correctional officers. "They wanted to appease the critics and say, 'We're not building a super jail.'"
A 2007 report for the Harper government included a proposal to build mega-prisons, which would house more than 2,000 inmates at all security levels at one site.
But the Harper government has consistently denied it has any plans to build mega-prisons.
"By taking this approach, they're essentially doing what appears to be a compromise regional complex setup without having to ask the community whether or not they want these kind of multi-security-level institutions," said Prof. Justin Piche, a sociologist at Memorial University in Newfoundland and Labrador who studies prison expansion.
Piche said adding units to an existing complex bypasses the local consultation process.
The correctional service is in the midst of a $1.7-billion building boom to accommodate a prison population ballooning because of law and order legislation that includes mandatory minimum sentences for more crimes and the cancellation of extra credit for time spent awaiting trial.
The prison population is expected to swell by more than 30 per cent in the next three to four years.
More than 2,500 new cells will be built at existing prisons over the next few years.
According to Lori Pothier, a spokeswoman for the service at its national headquarters in Ottawa: "Maximumsecurity units at select medium-security institutions will provide [the Correctional Service of Canada] with the flexibility it needs to better manage a complex and diverse offender population. [The service] will use the units to accommodate offenders with a highersecurity requirement, should the need arise."

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