CAMPAIGN
DRUGSCOPE
USING WOMEN: A CALL FOR ACTION
A campaign to give a voice to vulnerable women sent to jail with drug and mental health problems has been launched by DrugScope.
Using Women will highlight the plight of thousands of female inmates locked up in British prisons despite a history of physical, sexual and emotional abuse, exploitation, drug use and poor mental health.
A third have a problem with drug addiction, and with inadequate support to women upon release, the cycle of abuse, drugs and crime is only exacerbated.
More than half have a psychiatric disorder and half have reported some form of abuse in their lives, most occurring as children. The number of adult women in prison has more than doubled in 10 years - although a vast majority are jailed for petty crimes and a third have no previous conviction.
Using Women questions the logic behind jailing these women because of the high numbers who self harm while inside: a third of female inmates admit they have attempted suicide in prison. The damage to their families is indisputable. Over a half have a child under the age of 16.
The campaign, funded by Rethinking Crime and Punishment, says prison is not the only answer. Instead, the damage to women and their families can be reduced by expanding community sentences, drug treatment, psychiatric help and by breaking the cycle of abuse.
Using Women Campaign Website
http://usingwomen.org.uk/drugscope/index.htm
Using Women Campaign Leaflet
http://www.advocacyonline.net/drugscope/DS%20Using%20Women%20leaflet.pdf
RESEARCH
HOME OFFICE
Women Drug Users and Drugs Service
Provision: service level responses to engagement and retention
Jane Becker and Clare Duffy, Home Office, 2002
Summary
One of the key targets in the Government's Drugs Strategy is to double the number of problem users in treatment by 2008. Yet research shows that a significant proportion of women problem drug users are not in contact with drug treatment services. This report was commissioned by the Home Office to recommend practical ways of developing better provision for women problem drug users.
It sheds light on why it is difficult to engage women – a combination of the particular social pressures faced by women and the way in which drugs services have developed. It gives an insight into the realities of women problem users' lives, describing a picture of women who may have suffered past trauma or abuse and who are often disadvantaged in economic and social terms. Domestic responsibilities, fear of disapproval or of losing children to care are powerful disincentives to seeking treatment. These are all experiences which drugs services and partner agencies need to take on board in order to respond effectively to women's needs.
As well as identifying the difficulties and barriers to engaging women in services, the authors make a series of good practice recommendations. There are specific recommendations for service providers, other agencies and those responsible for commissioning services.
DPAS Briefing Paper 17
http://www.drugs.gov.uk/ReportsandPublications/Communities/1034601056/WomenandDrugs.pdf
FULL Report for the Home Office Drugs Strategy Directorate
http://www.drugs.gov.uk/ReportsandPublications/Communities/1034596415/
WomenDrugUsersandServiceProvision.pdf
WOMEN: WEB BASED ARTICLES, WEBSITES & CONTACTS::
UK: Articles, Websites & Contacts
Selling sex in the city: assessment of an arrest-referral scheme for sex workers in Kings Cross
DPAS Briefing Paper 13
Tiggey May, Alex Harocopos and Paul J Turnbull, South Bank University
http://213.121.214.244/ReportsandPublications/DPASPublications/1033750758/1033750823.pdf
Crack Cocaine and Female Prostitution in West London
Anna Green, Helen Ward and Sophie Day (1999), Imperial College Medical School
Women injecting drug users in London: use and views of health services
Gillian Hunter and Ali Judd (1998), The Centre for Research on Drugs and Health Behaviour
Positively Women
Positively Women was established in 1987 by a group of HIV positive women who were determined to set up services specific to women's needs. They formed a support group, which provided a safe space for women to talk openly about the challenges they faced. Today, the organisation remains strongly committed to the ethos of peer support and empowerment.
347-349 City Road, London, EC1V 1LR
Help line staffed by HIV positive women: 10am-4pm Monday to Friday 020 7713 1020
www.positivelywomen.org.uk
Equal Opportunities Commission: Gender Statistics User Group
As part of its work to promote the gender-disaggregation of statistics, the EOC is working with the Office for National Statistics to support the Gender Statistics Users' Group (GSUG). Set up in 1998 following a successful conference "Making Gender Count", the GSUG's aim is to improve the production and reporting of statistics in the UK in relation to gender issues.
www.eoc.org.uk/EOCeng/EOCcs/GSU/about_the_gender_statistics_users_group.asp
The Women's National Commission
The WNC was set up more than 30 years ago as the 'official, independent advisory body giving the views of women to Government'. It is an Advisory Non Departmental Public Body (NDPB): this means it is fully funded by the UK Government, but is able to comment freely on government policy.
www.thewnc.org.uk/aboutus.htm
INTERNATIONAL: Articles, Websites & Contacts
Canadian women's alcohol and other drug use: Increasing our understanding
Edited by David Hewitt, Garry Vinje, and Patricia MacNeil
Health Canada (1995);Published under Canada's Drug Strategy
http://www.ccsa.ca/docs/horiz2e.htm
Problem drug use by women: Focus on community-based interventions
Consultant study carried out by: Dagmar Hedrich, Rua dos Ferreiros (Estrela), Lisbon
http://www.pompidou.coe.int/english/therapie/women/pdw-e001.html
Women and drugs unequal justice
Three articles on women and drugs in prison (US)
www.startribune.com/stonline/html/special/prison/
Women and drug use in Asia
www.unifem-eseasia.org/Gendiss/downloads/UNIFEMSheet6.pdf
United Nations Office for Drug Control and Crime Prevention
Women and opium production in Afghanistan
www.odccp.org/odccp/alternative_development_studies_6.html
Canadian Centre on Substance Abuse
The CCSA provides a national focus for efforts to reduce health, social and economic harm
associated with substance abuse and addictions.
www.csa.ca
Office of National drug support policy
Useful US site provides statistics and research
www.whitehousedrugpolicy.gov/drugfact/women/
Drug Policy Alliance
Drug Policy Alliance is the leading US organization working to broaden the public debate on drug policy and to promote realistic alternatives to the war on drugs based on science, compassion, public health and human rights. Useful articles from the US.
http://www.lindesmith.org/communities/women/
National Women's Health Resource Centre
A US clearinghouse for women's health information, providing access to health information and resources. Has a useful overview of substance abuse research.
www.healthywomen.org/content.cfm?L1=3&L2=77.0&L3=0.0&L4=0
Executive Summaries
Department of Social Science and Medicine, Division of Primary Care and Population Health Sciences, Imperial College, Reynolds Building, Charing Cross Campus, St Dunstan's Road, London W6 8RP.
Telephone: 020 7594 0811 FAX: 020 7594 0866
The Executive Summaries series provided professionals in the substance use field with up-to-date, relevant, and timely scientific reviews for over 9½ years. The series ran since December 1990 until June 2000. Whilst the series is no longer published, a full and free archive of all back issues is available.
Daily Dose and Weekly Dose (Wired) offers daily collections and a large resource of Archive material
www.drugscope.org.uk |
