Coherent Harm Reduction
| Date | 01 March 1994 |
| DOI | 10.1177/026455059404100107 |
| Published date | 01 March 1994 |
| Subject Matter | Articles |
P R ACTICE
a
notes
If one accepts a harm reduction strategy,
which I believe all hostels should, then
this carries with it a commitment to
engage honestly with residents and to
avoid creating or perpetuating the deceit
and avoidance that goes hand in hand
with this problem. Harm reduction
Coherent
means an acknowledgement that drugs
will be used on the premises, otherwise
what message are we trying to convey:
Harm
that drug users should inject on streets
and presumably if we supply sharps
containers
Reduction
carry their used syringes back
into the hostel for disposal! Whilst I am
sure that the article did not set out to
imply this, neither did it, in my view,
Paul Gillbard, SPO/Warden of
having rightly emphasised harm
Wilton Place Probation and Bail
reduction, attempt to explore the issues
Hostel in Oldham, responds to
that must be concomitant with it.
a
Northamptonshire perspective on
residents who inject drugs.
immom
I feel strongly th~t
I feel strongly that it is past time the
past time
As a Hostel Manager I am obviously
Service addressed these issues, however
interested and concerned about the issue
difficult and challenging they may be. I
of working with chaotic drug users but I
do not pretend that there are easy
must say that I found ’Injecting Drug
solutions to the dilemma of having drug
Users in Probation Hostels’ (PJ
December
users, applying a harm reduction
1993) did little to address the
dilemmas faced by residential
strategy, and yet not appearing to
condone the
establishments.
offending behaviour that
arises from the
The
drug use itself. However,
two principles cited in the
at the
article: ’illegal drug use/possession
present time many of us in
residential work are left m a vulnerable
cannot be permitted on hostel premises
position and because of this it
or surrounding areas’ and ’a harm
may be
minimisation ethos is essential’,
helpful to highlight the critical issues that
seem to
me to be contradictory, but do highlight
apply:
1. Chaotic...
To continue reading
Request your trial