Thank you very much, Mr. Sapers.
You mentioned the importance of mental health, and my friend Mr. Miller mentioned drugs. I would like to draw the connection between the two. Your report suggests that 52.5% of inmates have an addiction history. On page 34 of your report, you write,
A better and more cost-effective way to prevent future crime and reduce substance misuse is to put more of our limited resources into treatment, prevention and harm reduction measures....
In January 2016, there was a report called “On Point: Recommendations for Prison-Based Needle and Syringe Programs in Canada”. The author concludes:
International evidence and experience have consistently demonstrated that such programs are effective at reducing the negative health consequences associated with injection drug use, do not increase violence inside prisons, and can be implemented in a variety of forms within different prison settings so as to best support different prisoner populations.... Our research supports these findings....
I wonder, Mr. Sapers, if you could speak to the prison-based needle exchange in your experience, in your research, and how we might move in that direction.