Overview
In many countries, including Canada, HIV and hepatitis C (HCV) infection is significantly more prevalent among people in prison than among the population as a whole. In part, this is because people from communities that are already disproportionately affected by HIV — including people who use drugs — also face disproportionate rates of incarceration. But it’s also because people in prison often don’t have access to the same health services available to people outside prison — a violation of human rights.
Depending on the setting, the lack of opioid substitution therapy (e.g. methadone), condom distribution, sterile injection equipment and other harm reduction measures are all factors driving the HIV epidemic in prisons. Infections acquired in prison ultimately result in greater public health costs. And, since most prisoners are eventually released back into the community, harm to the health of those in prison also harms public health more broadly.
We work with a range of partners, in Canada and internationally, to improve access in prisons to:
- voluntary and confidential HIV testing;
- services to reduce HIV and other harms (e.g. condom and lubricant distribution, safer tattooing programs, drug dependence treatment, needle and syringe programs); and
- uninterrupted antiretroviral treatment and other medical care.
Learn more:
Letter to CSC Health Services OAT Policy Changes – October 1, 2025
This letter – co-signed by the HIV Legal Network and other organizations that work directly with or advocate for the rights-respecting treatment of people in federal custody – shares serious concerns about the impacts of the October 1, 2025 changes to Correctional Services Canada’s Opioid Agonist Treatment policy, including the delisting of Suboxone and the … Read more
Submission to the United Nations Human Rights Committee: Review of Canada at 145th Session
The HIV Legal Network made this submission to the United Nations (UN) Human Rights Committee (“Committee”) in advance of its review of Canada’s periodic report, detailing our concerns about Canada’s implementation of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR). This submission provides information on violations of Articles 2, 3, 6, 7, 9, and … Read more
Urgent Concerns Regarding CSC’s Recent Opioid Agonist Treatment Policy Changes – Open Letter
Sign the letter here. 15 December 2025 Via email Anne Kelly, Commissioner, Correctional Service Canada (CSC) Marie Doyle, Assistant Commissioner, Health Services, CSC cc: Bassem Guirguis, National Pharmacist, CSC; Darcy Stoneadge, Director, Health Policy and Programs, CSC; Dr. Asim Masood, Chief Medical Office of Health, CSC; Dr. Guy Hébert, National Physician Lead, CSC; Dr. Nader … Read more
Open Letter – Urgent Concerns Regarding CSC’s Recent Opioid Agonist Treatment Policy Changes
Sign the letter here. 15 December 2025 Via email Anne Kelly, Commissioner, Correctional Service Canada (CSC) Marie Doyle, Assistant Commissioner, Health Services, CSC cc: Bassem Guirguis, National Pharmacist, CSC; Darcy Stoneadge, Director, Health Policy and Programs, CSC; Dr. Asim Masood, Chief Medical Office of Health, CSC; Dr. Guy Hébert, National Physician Lead, CSC; Dr. Nader … Read more
Securing Rights – 2024/25 Annual Report
We hope you’ll read our 2024-25 annual report — Securing Rights: Using Our Values to Meet the Moment — to find out more about the kind of positive change we’re making and get a glimpse of what we hope to accomplish in 2026.
Together we can end the harmful “War on Drugs”
Today — International Overdose Awareness Day (IOAD) — is not just a day of reflection but a call to action. It is a plea to governments, organizations, and individuals to come together and prioritize life, health, and dignity above prejudice and stigma as we push toward a world where people who use substances are met with … Read more
WORLD AIDS DAY 2022: IT’S TIME TO EQUALIZE, IN CANADA AND BEYOND
November 30, 2022 — Today, the HIV Legal Network marks World AIDS Day by joining with the United Nations (UN) in a call to governments around the world to reform laws, policies, and practices that create and exacerbate the stigma faced by people living with HIV. With this year’s theme being “Equalize,” we are focused … Read more
POINTS OF PERSPECTIVE: NEW REPORT ON NORTH AMERICA’S FIRST-EVER PRISON NEEDLE EXCHANGE PROGRAM (IN CANADA) SHOWS CRITICAL LIMITATIONS AND CHALLENGES
November 29, 2022 — Today, researchers at the HIV Legal Network and Toronto Metropolitan University have released Points of Perspective, the very first national independent study of Canada’s “Prison Needle Exchange Program” (PNEP). It is based on interviews with people formerly incarcerated in federal prisons across the country and provides an overview of the PNEP … Read more
MEDIA STATEMENT: WORLD AIDS DAY 2021: FORTY YEARS OF HIV, FORTY YEARS OF PROGRESS
WORLD AIDS DAY 2021: FORTY YEARS OF HIV, FORTY YEARS OF PROGRESS The following can be attributed to the HIV Legal Network. November 30, 2021 – Toronto – Tomorrow is World AIDS Day — a day to reflect on the current state of HIV and AIDS in the world, where we started, and how … Read more
HUMAN RIGHTS GROUPS FILE LEGAL CHALLENGE CITING CANADA’S FAILURE TO PROTECT PRISONERS’ HEALTH IN THE CONTEXT OF COVID-19
On May 12, 2020, the Canadian Civil Liberties Association (CCLA), HIV Legal Network, Canadian Prison Law Association (CPLA), HIV & AIDS Legal Clinic Ontario (HALCO), and current federal prisoner Sean Johnston filed a constitutional and human rights challenge against the Government of Canada, to compel it to take proactive steps to ensure prisoners’ safety in the … Read more