Acknowledging the health benefits of needle and syringe programs in prison, the Correctional Service Canada (CSC) announced on May 14th, 2018, that it would implement a prison needle exchange program (PNEP) at two federal institutions in June 2018 as “the initial stage of a phased approach to strengthen its ongoing efforts to prevent and manage infectious disease in federal penitentiaries and in the community.”
Since CSC’s PNEP announcement, misinformation about these programs has also circulated, questioning the benefits of such programs and their necessity in Canada. To address this misinformation, we produced a policy brief and “mythbusters” resources, outlining the overwhelming evidence in support of PNEPs and dispelling common myths about these programs.