A considerable proportion of the prison population in Europe is made up of drug law offenders and of drug users who have committed drug-related crime to support their addiction. Drug using prisoners often suffer from health problems (e.g. infectious diseases, mental disorders) and, on account of reduced tolerance are at high risk of a fatal drug overdose after release. Yet, in many countries, drug interventions in the prison setting remain limited.

 

In this context, the EU drugs action plan (2009–12) sets the goal of developing a methodological framework for monitoring drug use, drug-related health problems and drug service delivery in prisons (1). This work, to be carried out by the European Commission, with the support of the EMCDDA, will be based on steps already taken in this field by the EMCDDA and international organisations (UNODC, WHO). Ultimately, the EU Member States will be asked to endorse and implement a set of indicators to monitor these three factors in the prison setting. ... In 2012, the EMCDDA will publish in its ‘Selected issues’ series a review of drugs and the prison setting.

 

Reproduced from  Drugnet Europe No. 71, July–September 2010

 

The EMCDDA’s Prevention and Evaluation Resources Kit (PERK) is a package of evidence-based prevention principles, planning rules and evaluation tips for prevention professionals. Until recently available only as an online product, this valuable resource has now been released as a printed EMCDDA manual.

 

PERK provides support to policy planners by offering information on the types of strategies that are effective or on how to determine whether a project is sound and well designed. It also supports prevention professionals and project developers, through the provision of background literature, theories and evaluation tools and downloadable documentation or references. It is hoped that this additional material will be particularly useful for readers who have difficulty accessing the scientific prevention literature. To illustrate the theoretical discussion, an intervention example, partly based on a real-life situation, offers a practical perspective. Available at www.emcdda.europa.eu/publications/perk