WRITTEN QUESTION E-0403/03

by Alexandros Alavanos (GUE/NGL) to the Commission

(17 February 2003)

Subject: Drugs and Greek prisons

The report by the European Monitoring Centre for Drugs and Drug Addiction entitled: An overview study: Assistance to drug users in European Union prisons on the use of drugs in prisons in the Member States concludes that between 15 and 20 % of prisoners in the European Union have, or have had, problems involving banned drugs and that the use of drugs in prisons is becoming more widespread because users consider them an antidote to boredom and also as a means of getting accustomed to the restrictions of life in prison and coping with bad news from outside and aggressiveness.

Given the increase in the number of users in prison and given also that the European Union has specific objectives and a programme for dealing with drug addiction, will the Commission say: does a specific action programme exist for dealing with drug use among prisoners? What is the experience of Member States in this field? What are its views about the Greek programme?

Answer given by Mr Vitorino on behalf of the Commission

(2 April 2003)

The Union Action Plan on Drugs 2000 2004 states that the Member States should provide a wide variety of treatment services for drug users and treatment to those addicts seeking it within a reasonable time. It also asks the Member States to intensify their efforts to provide measures for health related damage in prisons and on release from prisons.

The prison population is one of the key target groups, since a high part of the population are drug users. According to the latest information from the Annual Report of the European Monitoring Centre for Drugs and Drug Addiction (EMCDDA) 2002, where drug use in prison was a special theme, drug use prevalence varies between 29 86 % of the inmates. The amount of injecting users can be as high as 69 % and up to 34 % report having injected in the prison.

While there is no specific Community programme for drugs and prisons, the Commission has funded networks developing these activities through the Community programme on drug prevention.

Furthermore, a Resolution of the Representatives of Member States, meeting within the Council, on the treatment of drug abusers in prison was adopted in February 2003. This Resolution calls upon Member States to consider adherence to various principles related to drug abusers in prison. These principles include, among others, that Member States should give the highest priority to keep drugs out of prison and that they should provide incarcerated drug abusers access to the social, health and rehabilitation services provided for non-criminal drug abusers.

The system for organising the services varies from one Member State to another, most of them have already organised drug services in prisons and/or are offering drug users treatment as an alternative for a prison sentence.

Based on the information provided to the EMCDDA it is apparent that the existing Greek legislation allows for services to be available for drug users in prisons. The Commission welcomes initiatives taken in this field like the integrated programme for psychosocial rehabilitation of drug dependent inmates in Koridallos Women's Prison and the demand reduction interventions by Kethea, the Addiction Detoxification Unit of the Athens Psychiatric Hospital, Narcotics Anonymous, Médecins Sans Frontières Greece and Médecins du Monde Greece. The Commission also welcomes the setting up of the Drug Dependence Treatment Centres for Drug Addicted Prisoners, the first of which started its operation in September 2002 in Eleonas.