An overdose prevention site for inmates is coming to this Ontario prison

Work is underway to set up a site where inmates can use drugs under medical supervision at a prison in Kingston, Ont.

The overdose prevention service (OPS) at the Collins Bay Institution will be the third of its kind in Canada and the first in Ontario.

The goal is to save lives, limit needle-sharing and prevent the spread of infectious diseases, according to Correctional Service Canada (CSC).

Drugs consumed at the location will be self-supplied, meaning substances that are smuggled in.

A ‘moral dilemma’ for corrections staff

It’s an approach that’s supported by harm reduction advocates and the Union of Canadian Correctional Officers (UCCO), but also presents prison staff with the question of whether they’re condoning illicit drug use behind bars.

“It’s almost a moral dilemma for us,” said Chris Bucholtz, UCCO’s Ontario regional president.

“We’re supposed to keep drugs out … yet we’re giving them the place to do it.”

There’s no clear timeline for when the OPS at Collins Bay will be up and running. Bucholtz said it was supposed to be operational this month but that’s been pushed back.

“Planning and consultation” for the Kingston location is underway, according to a statement from CSC, along with renovations. The aim is to open the site “at the earliest opportunity.”

There were 23 overdoses or suspected overdoses at Collins Bay during the 2022-2023 fiscal year and 17 so far this year, the correctional service added, crediting staff with the fact none of the incidents were fatal.

No fatal overdoses after OPS sites opened

CSC’s first OPS site opened in June 2019 at the Drumheller Institution in Alberta. As of February 2023, 68 inmates had been approved to use the facility and 1,732 visits had been logged.

A second location at the Springhill Institution in Nova Scotia started up this past July.

The correctional service said there have been no fatal overdoses at either prison since an OPS was established.

“Mental health and problematic substance use are first-and-foremost a health issue, and we continue to work to break down stigma, while providing effective and appropriate treatments,” said CSC’s statement.

Bucholtz recently toured the site at Collins Bay and said it will be in the health-care section of the prison and include a couple of rooms to provide inmates with privacy while they consume.

The union official said the program ensures medical staff, not correctional officers, are on hand when drugs are used and there’s a risk of overdose, which he believes will be safer for both staff and inmates.

Overdose prevention site presents ‘moral dilemma’ for corrections officers, union president says

Chris Bucholtz, Ontario regional president for the Union of Canadian Correctional Officers said it’s difficult for officers to wrap their minds around giving inmates a safe place to use self-supplied drugs when part of their job is to keep drugs out.

Bucholtz also said the union considers an OPS “the lesser of two evils” compared to the prison needle exchange program, which is currently in place at nine CSC facilities.

Needles can be used as a weapon, he said, and those who use them are unsupervised while injecting drugs, raising the risk of overdose.

Concerns about schedule, supply

The move shows a “sort of evolution” from corrections leadership toward recognizing substance use as a health issue, said Sandra Ka Hon Chu, a co-executive director with the HIV Legal Network.

That change now needs to filter down to staff as the number of overdoses rise, she added.

“In the context of OPS, I’d say they’re not co-signing drug use, they’re anti-overdose,” Ka Hon Chu said.

One issue with the sites is that they’re a physical location, which will only be accessible during certain hours. For example, the Drumheller site is open from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. seven days a week, according to a frequently asked questions page on CSC’s website.

Ka Hon Chu said people don’t use drugs on a schedule, referencing a 2020 report from University of Ottawa researcher Lynne Leonard who found there had been two non-fatal overdoses at Drumheller since the OPS there was set up.

One occurred in 2019 and involved an OPS participant, but happened outside the site’s hours of operation, according to her evaluation of the site.

The setup also raised confidentiality issues, said Ka Hon Chu, pointing out a person who accesses an OPS will inevitably be seen by non-medical staff as they walk over.

“A lot of people are not going to want to out themselves as someone who uses drugs,” she said, adding that’s why the HIV Legal Network believes both an OPS and needle exchange program are necessary.

The case for overdose prevention sites in Canada’s prisons

Sandra Ka Hon Chu, a co-executive director with the HIV Legal Network said there’s a “critical need” for harm reduction programs like overdose prevention sites in Canada’s correctional facilities.

In its statement, the correctional service said participants won’t get in trouble for using the OPS, but consuming illicit substances outside of it could result in discipline or criminal charges.

One other concern Ka Hon Chu shared is the illicit source of the drugs that will be consumed, considering the current toxic drug supply.

“Even with the supervision of medical staff, which is great, people are risking overdose.”