Harm reduction, health and justice
Travelling to learn, return to inspire
Last year I travelled to Portugal to explore ways in which health policies can be used to reduce harm and social exclusion, prevent criminalisation and aid social integration.
I was there thanks to the generosity of the Winston Churchill Memorial Trust (in partnership with the Prison Reform Trust and the International Centre for Prison Studies), looking at initiatives that reduce imprisonment and divert people away from the criminal justice system. UK prisons hold many people with drug or alcohol related problems; overcrowding often precludes effective treatment. My project aimed to further an understanding of the way in which drug related problems can be responded to in a more effective and humane way, avoiding stigmatisation and marginalisation. To this end I examined and assessed Portugal's decriminalisation of personal drug use and the system of civil ‘dissuasion commissions’, which is unique in the world.
My study aimed at : (a) establishing how the 'Commissions for the Dissuasion from Drug Abuse' (CDTs) work, what kind of interventions they use and how they impact on the people who receive them; (b) examining the repercussions of the Portuguese drugs policies on imprisonment levels, recorded crime and public opinion; and (c) contributing to an informed debate about the applicability of public health-based and civil interventions in the area of drug use in our country.
During my stay I was able to closely observe the CDTs' decision making processes, investigate what solutions they advocate and how they interact with the people who come before them. I analysed quantitative impact data, surveys and evaluations. I also explored the policy developments that have led to the implementation of the current strategies. I focused on the following methods:
a. Process observation: visiting and sitting in at CDTs sessions (two CDTs: one in Lisbon, an urban setting, and one in Aveiro, a more rural district)
b. Interviews with people attending the above sessions on their experience and perceptions of the process and outcomes; with Commission members and practitioners from their support teams; with evaluators (including the European Monitoring Centre for Drugs and Drug Addiction - EMCDDA)
c. Policies, strategies and data (e.g. imprisonment and drug use prevalence rates) examination and assessment.
To sum up, the objectives of my study were:
1. To provide an overview of the Portuguese experience of drug decriminalisation.
2. To establish some clear evidence about how the CDTs work, what kind of interventions they use and with what results.
3. To examine the impact of the Portuguese drugs policies on health, street crime and public opinion.
4. To help an informed debate in the UK about practice and policy alternatives like civil rather than criminal interventions, in the area of drug use in our country, avoiding facile and febrile populism by prioritising evidence and measured discussion.
I was there thanks to the generosity of the Winston Churchill Memorial Trust (in partnership with the Prison Reform Trust and the International Centre for Prison Studies), looking at initiatives that reduce imprisonment and divert people away from the criminal justice system. UK prisons hold many people with drug or alcohol related problems; overcrowding often precludes effective treatment. My project aimed to further an understanding of the way in which drug related problems can be responded to in a more effective and humane way, avoiding stigmatisation and marginalisation. To this end I examined and assessed Portugal's decriminalisation of personal drug use and the system of civil ‘dissuasion commissions’, which is unique in the world.
My study aimed at : (a) establishing how the 'Commissions for the Dissuasion from Drug Abuse' (CDTs) work, what kind of interventions they use and how they impact on the people who receive them; (b) examining the repercussions of the Portuguese drugs policies on imprisonment levels, recorded crime and public opinion; and (c) contributing to an informed debate about the applicability of public health-based and civil interventions in the area of drug use in our country.
During my stay I was able to closely observe the CDTs' decision making processes, investigate what solutions they advocate and how they interact with the people who come before them. I analysed quantitative impact data, surveys and evaluations. I also explored the policy developments that have led to the implementation of the current strategies. I focused on the following methods:
a. Process observation: visiting and sitting in at CDTs sessions (two CDTs: one in Lisbon, an urban setting, and one in Aveiro, a more rural district)
b. Interviews with people attending the above sessions on their experience and perceptions of the process and outcomes; with Commission members and practitioners from their support teams; with evaluators (including the European Monitoring Centre for Drugs and Drug Addiction - EMCDDA)
c. Policies, strategies and data (e.g. imprisonment and drug use prevalence rates) examination and assessment.
To sum up, the objectives of my study were:
1. To provide an overview of the Portuguese experience of drug decriminalisation.
2. To establish some clear evidence about how the CDTs work, what kind of interventions they use and with what results.
3. To examine the impact of the Portuguese drugs policies on health, street crime and public opinion.
4. To help an informed debate in the UK about practice and policy alternatives like civil rather than criminal interventions, in the area of drug use in our country, avoiding facile and febrile populism by prioritising evidence and measured discussion.