Police confrontations among street-involved youth in a Canadian setting

Ti, Lianping; Wood, Evan; Shannon, Kate; Feng, Cindy; Kerr, Thomas

doi:10.1016/j.drugpo.2012.06.008

Cited by 44 publications

(37 citation statements)

References 42 publications

(53 reference statements)

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“…Interactions with police appear frequent, for example Romanian PWID reported being stopped by police on average 5 times in the past year, and having been stopped increased risk of sharing syringes by over 3 times. Research elsewhere shows that injectors can be reluctant to carry injecting equipment or visit NEPs for fear of coming into contact with the police (Rhodes, et al, 2004), or may resort to rapid and unplanned injecting if they fear imminent police presence (Ti, et al, 2013). We do not have information on whether the police concentrate their activities in areas close to NEP or other services, confiscate injecting paraphernalia, or target drug selling locations, all of which have been shown to limit safe injecting and reduce confidence in harm reduction (Debeck, et al, 2011;Mimiaga, et al, 2010).…”

Section: Interactions With Policementioning

confidence: 99%

“…In many countries of Eastern Europe the main strategy for dealing with young injectors is through the adult criminal justice system (EHRN, 2009;Merkinaite, et al, 2010). Police harassment and the threat of detention may discourage young people from contact with authorities (Debeck, et al, 2011), while even among those who are willing to obtain sterile injecting equipment from harm reduction services, aggressive policing has been shown to be a structural driver of unsafe injecting practices as PWID look for an opportunity to inject as quickly as possible after obtaining drugs, even if they have not obtained clean equipment (Ti, et al, 2013).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Legal restrictions on providing harm reduction services to minors (under 18) exacerbate young PWID's vulnerability by limiting their access to health and social services, while punitive measures by police and child protection institutions engender distrust of authorities (Curth, Hansson, Storm, & Lazarus, 2009;Merkinaite, Grund, & Frimpong, 2010;Ti, Wood, Shannon, Feng, & Kerr, 2013). In many countries of Eastern Europe the main strategy for dealing with young injectors is through the adult criminal justice system (EHRN, 2009;Merkinaite, et al, 2010).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Injecting behaviour and service use among young injectors in Albania, Moldova, Romania and Serbia

Busza

Douthwaite

Bani

et al. 2013

International Journal of Drug Policy

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Background: This study examines socio-demographic profiles, injecting risk, and use of health services among young injectors (15)(16)(17)(18)(19)(20)(21)(22)(23)(24) in Albania, Moldova, Romania, and Serbia. The objective was to provide age-disaggregated data to identify differences between adolescents (<18) and youth (18)(19)(20)(21)(22)(23)(24), and help fill the gap in knowledge on the youngest injectors in this region. Methods: Cross sectional surveys were conducted in each country using chain-referral sampling to reach diverse networks of people who use drugs (PWID). In Albania and Romania, surveys were conducted in the capitals, respectively Bucharest and Tirana. Respondents were recruited from 3 cities in Moldova (Chisinau, Balti and Tiraspol) and Serbia (Belgrade, Novi Sad and Nis). Data were collected on risk behaviours, service use, and contact with police and other authorities. Analysis focused on associations between unsafe injecting behaviour and key determinants including demographic background, source of needles/syringes, use of harm reduction services, and interactions with law enforcement. Results: Although drug use and health-seeking varied across settings, sources of injecting equipment were significantly associated with sharing needles and syringes in Moldova, Romania and Serbia. Obtaining equipment from formal sources (pharmacies, needle-exchange programmes) reduced likelihood of sharing significantly, while being stopped by the police or incarcerated increased it. Adolescents relied on pharmacies more than public sector services to obtain equipment. Conclusion: Adolescents comprise a small proportion of PWID in this region, but have poorer access to harm reduction services than older peers. Engaging young PWID through private and public sector outlets might reduce unsafe practices, while use of the justice system to address drug use complicates efforts to reach this population.

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Section: Interactions With Policementioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Injecting behaviour and service use among young injectors in Albania, Moldova, Romania and Serbia

Busza

Douthwaite

Bani

et al. 2013

International Journal of Drug Policy

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“…1,2 Our finding that excessive force is commonly employed by security guards toward PWUD builds upon research from around the globe drawing attention to the use of excessive force by police 11,12,51,54,55 and extends these trends into the domain of privatized policing activities. Consistent with previous work, we found that excessive force sometimes resulted in severe personal injury, underscoring the immediate public health impacts of these tactics.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 89%

Exploring the Public Health Impacts of Private Security Guards on People Who Use Drugs: a Qualitative Study

2015

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Private security guards occupy an increasingly prominent role in the policing of private and public spaces. There are growing concerns regarding security guards' potential to shape violence, discrimination, and adverse health outcomes among vulnerable populations, including people who use drugs (PWUD). This is relevant in Vancouver, Canada, where private security guards have increasingly been employed by private organizations to manage public and private spaces, including those within urban drug scenes. This qualitative study sought to understand interactions between PWUD and private security guards and explore their impacts on health care access, risks, and harms among PWUD. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 30 PWUD recruited from two ongoing prospective cohort studies. Interviews were transcribed and analyzed using a coding framework comprised of a priori and emergent categories. Study data indicate that participants experience pervasive, discriminatory profiling and surveillance by security guards, which exacerbates existing social marginalization and structural vulnerability, particularly among PWUD of Aboriginal ancestry. Participants reported that security guards restrict PWUD's access to public and private spaces, including pharmacies and hospitals. PWUD also reported that their interactions with security guards often involved interpersonal violence and aggression, experiences that served to increase their vulnerability to subsequent risks and harms. Our findings highlight that private security forces contribute significantly to the everyday violence experienced by PWUD within drug scenes and elsewhere and do so in a manner very similar to that of traditional police forces. These findings point to the urgent need for greater oversight and training of private security guards in order to protect the health and safety of PWUD.

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“…Developing new medical treatments for stimulant addiction, including crack-cocaine, is a major public health priority given the health and social harms associated with crack-cocaine use. 37–40 It is therefore encouraging that these individuals are willing to participate in new trials.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Factors associated with willingness to participate in a pharmacologic addiction treatment clinical trial among people who use drugs

et al. 2015

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Background and Objectives Although new medications are needed to address the harms of drug addiction, rates of willingness to participate in addictions treatment trials among people who use drugs (PWUD) have not been well characterized. Methods One thousand twenty PWUD enrolled in two community-recruited cohorts in Vancouver, Canada, were asked whether they would be willing to participate in an addiction treatment trial. Logistic regression was used to identify factors independently associated with a willingness to participate. Results Among the 1,020 illicit drug users surveyed between June 1, 2013 and November 30, 2013, 58.3% indicated a willingness to participate. In multivariate analysis, factors independently associated with a willingness to participate in an addiction treatment trial, included: daily heroin injection (Adjusted Odds Ratio [AOR] = 1.75 [95% Confidence Interval [CI]: 1.13 – 2.72]); daily crack smoking (AOR = 1.81 [95% CI: 1.23 – 2.66]); sex work involvement (AOR = 2.22 [95% CI: 1.21 – 4.06]); HIV seropositivity (AOR = 1.49 [95% CI: 1.15 – 1.94]); and methadone maintenance therapy participation (AOR = 1.77 [95% CI: 1.37 – 2.30]). Discussion and Conclusions High rates of willingness to participate in an addiction treatment trial were observed in this setting. Importantly, high-risk drug and sexual activities were positively associated with a willingness to participate, which may suggest a desire for new treatment interventions among illicit drug users engaged in high-risk behaviour. Scientific Significance These results highlight the viability of studies seeking to enroll representative samples of illicit drug users engaged in high-risk drug use.

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Police confrontations among street-involved youth in a Canadian setting

Cited by 44 publications

References 42 publications

Injecting behaviour and service use among young injectors in Albania, Moldova, Romania and Serbia

Injecting behaviour and service use among young injectors in Albania, Moldova, Romania and Serbia

Exploring the Public Health Impacts of Private Security Guards on People Who Use Drugs: a Qualitative Study

Factors associated with willingness to participate in a pharmacologic addiction treatment clinical trial among people who use drugs

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