Drug addiction in prison: questions about a project of drug detoxification to incarcerated people

Abstract

In this theoretical study the aim was to analyze a specific project of drug detoxification exclusively directed to incarcerated people. This referred project is based on the logic of total abstinence. Although literature emphasizes harm reduction as a privileged strategy to deal with drug use in prisons, what we recognize are actions that emphasize abstinence, both in criminal proceedings and in prison units. One example of this type of action is the project mentioned above, sustained by a model that prohibits drug use and relapse. We understand the complexities involved in carrying out actions of harm reduction in prisons, given the specificities of this place. However, the use of drugs is part of prisons' routines. As such, it needs to be approached as a problem that goes beyond any individual prisoner; it is a part of the social node, both outside and inside prisons.