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‘[With the other inmates] it was very basic, there was no friendship or
relationship there really, it was just focused on getting and using the drugs,
that was as far as it went. You were just talking about what’s happening and
who has the money and who has the gear and who will score and where to
use it and stuff like that.’
(Adam)
The disparity involved in the power dynamics between heroin users and dealers
became particularly evident during withdrawal, when biopsychosocial discomfort
induced fear and isolation. Sizeable debts could also build up among prisoners,
creating additional complications – often compounded by prisoners’ mental
health problems. Certainly the participants in this study reported mistrust of both
the authorities and other prisoners, where heroin had the dual purpose of being
both ‘a blessing and a curse’.
‘You've gotta deal with people who you're buying it off and they obviously use
it as an element of power… Then the obvious violence that goes with it as well,
cos things don't always run smoothly... People rob other people, nick their stuff,
people don't pay people, so it's kinda like, yeah, looking back I don't know how
I had the energy to do it.’
(Ben)
‘It kept my emotions stable.
Constantly when I was on
gear, I'd feel composed, I
don't get angry, I don't get
upset, I just deal with stuff.’
Lana Durjava has a background in forensic psychology and works at HMP Pentonville
www.drinkanddrugsnews.com
May 2018 | drinkanddrugsnews | 7
T
he study aimed to contribute to the existing knowledge about the
psychological and social experience of heroin addiction in prison – an
experience that could be summarised as a life of lonely compulsion in
a mundane and ruthless environment. While the findings cannot be
generalised to the wider prison population, they nevertheless offer a
fair indication of the everyday reality of people who experience heroin addiction
during incarceration.
British prisons are in a state of perpetual crisis, with endemic drug use,
bullying and violence being fundamental parts of daily reality. The prison system
currently appears to be mostly about containment and risk management and is
characterised by limited resources, staff shortages, lack of meaningful activities
and support services that are inadequate in responding to prisoners’ needs.
It is hoped that, with time, an holistic approach will be more consistently
adopted that addresses the multiple health, social and psychological needs of the
prison population, despite all the contextual pressures and factors that hinder
recovery from compulsive drug use and offending. Furthermore, it is hoped that
the prison service will employ less punitive strategies in the detection and
punishment of illicit drug users – and that custodial sentencing will incarcerate
violent offenders, rather than those who are vulnerable, with complex needs, and
deemed ‘petty’ criminals.