Harm Reduction Policing: An Evaluation of Law Enforcement Assisted Diversion (LEAD) in San Francisco

2021 ◽  
pp. 109861112110375
Author(s):  
Dina Perrone ◽  
Aili Malm ◽  
Erica Jovanna Magaña
Keyword(s):  
Law Enforcement ◽  
Focus Group ◽  
Propensity Score ◽  
Harm Reduction ◽  
San Francisco ◽  
Sex Work ◽  
Law Enforcement Officers ◽  
Outcome Evaluation ◽  
People Who Use Drugs ◽  
Process And Outcome

In 2017, San Francisco (SF) implemented Law Enforcement Assisted Diversion (LEAD), a program Beckett described as harm reduction policing. Through a process and outcome evaluation of LEAD SF, this paper demonstrates the positive impacts of harm reduction policing, on those who use drugs and/or engage in sex work. When law enforcement officers used their discretion to divert individuals into LEAD rather than arrest, those individuals had significantly fewer felony and misdemeanor arrests and felony cases, in comparison to a propensity score matched group. The focus group and interview data describe that the collaboration, the warm handoff, and LEAD’s harm reduction principles were mechanisms of success. However, obtaining officer buy-in was a key challenge. Despite that obstacle, LEAD SF’s harm reduction policing reduces offending, improves the wellbeing of people who use drugs and engage in sex work, and allows the police to carry out their mandate to protect and serve.

The Opioid Epidemic: Task-Shifting in Health Care and the Case for Access to Harm Reduction for People Who Use Drugs

2020 ◽  
pp. 002073142091482
Author(s):  
Ehsan Jozaghi
Keyword(s):  
Health Care ◽  
Law Enforcement ◽  
Harm Reduction ◽  
Task Shifting ◽  
People Who Use Drugs ◽  
Care Needs ◽  
Illegal Markets ◽  
Illegal Drug Use ◽  
Social Structural

We are sadly experiencing unprecedented levels of overdose mortalities attributed to the increased availability of synthetic opioids in illegal markets. While the majority of attention in North America has focused on preventing drug overdose cases through the distribution and administration of naloxone, in addition to stricter regulations of opioid prescriptions and greater law enforcement in illegal markets, little attention has been given to other alternative models and treatments for people who use drugs that are tailored specifically to the health care needs of this marginalized population. Through this analysis, the implications of task-shifting in health care via the distribution of naloxone for an already marginalized population are discussed. Alternatively, the role of pioneering harm-reduction programs – such as supervised injection/consumption sites, a variety of opioids maintenance therapies, and social-structural interventions – are highlighted as crucial interventions in the current ongoing opioid crisis. Moreover, people with lived experiences of illegal drug use are discussed as having a pivotal role but being ultimately overshadowed by public health partners.

scholarly journals Harm Reduction Policing: From Drug Law Enforcement to Protection

2019 ◽  
Vol 46 (4) ◽  
pp. 345-362 ◽  
Author(s):  
Tobias Kammersgaard
Keyword(s):  
Law Enforcement ◽  
Harm Reduction ◽  
Document Analysis ◽  
People Who Use Drugs ◽  
Negative Consequences ◽  
Limited Extent ◽  
Drug Law ◽  
Drug Law Enforcement ◽  
Police Action ◽  
Potential Benefits

Several drug policy researchers have noted that the concept of harm reduction could be applied to the field of drug policing in order to assess the negative consequences and potential benefits of policing in this area. However, the application of harm reduction principles to drug policing has only been realized to a limited extent in the current responses to drug use and markets. Accordingly, studies that empirically investigate already existing policing practices, which might be described as operating within such a harm reduction framework, are relatively scarce. In order to address this gap, this article provides an investigation of how policing of an open drug scene has been organized in Denmark since drug possession has been partly decriminalized, following the introduction of drug consumption rooms in Copenhagen. The policing of this open drug scene was investigated through document analysis, interviews, and observations with a patrolling police officer. The article argues that decriminalization has resulted in a shift in the “logics” of policing by enabling the production of an alternative “governable identity” for the drug-using subject, where people who use drugs could more readily be perceived as citizens with rights rather than just as offenders. Accordingly, in this new logic, the violence and victimization experienced by marginalized people who use drugs could more readily be identified as proper objects for police action. The study contributes to our knowledge of how the police can become potential allies rather than adversaries in harm reduction initiatives and broader public health concerns.

scholarly journals ‘We Realised We Needed a New Approach’: Government and Law enforcement Perspectives on the Implementation and Future of the Drug Decriminalisation Policy in Vietnam

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hai Thanh Luong ◽  
Luc Trong Hoang ◽  
Toan Quang Le ◽  
Tuan Anh Hoang ◽  
Mai Thanh Vu ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Law Enforcement ◽  
Drug Use ◽  
Harm Reduction ◽  
Drug Policy ◽  
Drug Control ◽  
People Who Use Drugs ◽  
Community Based ◽  
Drug Law ◽  
Drug Law Enforcement ◽  
Law Enforcement Officials

Abstract Background In 2009, Vietnam officially decriminalized drug use through amendments to the criminal law. The amendments specifically outlined that drug use would be seen as an administrative sanction, but not a criminal offence. This legal transition has not been without its implementation challenges and police particularly are have struggled to balance their role between drug law enforcement and decriminalisation. Despite being a health-orientated drug policy amendment, in practice it has meant that police can send suspected drug users to compulsory treatment centres without judicial oversight and people who use drugs continue to face challenges in their interface with law enforcement which can negatively impact access to harm reduction and community-based treatment programs. This paper explores the perspectives of policy makers and law enforcement officials in Vietnam and provides some insights and considerations into how the amended law was implemented and how it could be made more effective in improving both health and safety for all people in Vietnam. Methods To understand government and policing perspective on amended changes to the Criminal Code in 2009 and its subsequent implementation, this mixed methods research combined content analysis of a number of core legislations in terms of drug control policies in Vietnam with perspectives and insights from 14 key informant interviews from people representing a range of relevant Vietnamese Government (n=10) and non-government agencies (n=4). Results While most interviewees recognised that decriminalizing drug use in Vietnam was designed as a a progressive and health-oriented drug policy, many participants acknowledged the ongoing disconnect between the health intent of the policy and the police-led oversight of its implementation in the community. Part of this disconnect was explained by the lack of training and clear protocol that would enhance the police in their ability to contribute to the health intent of the policy rather than continue to view drug use through a drug law enforcement only lens. A current pilot initiative by Hanoi’s People Committee to implement a model of assisted referral for people who use drugs to community-based health, social and legal support may provide an example of how to situate decriminalisation policy within a broader context of harm reduction interventions through the design and trial of clear protocols for how law enforcement agencies can actively engage and support the process of diversion into harm reduction and community-based treatment. Conclusions Since the inception of the amended law there has been very little review and analyses of its implementation progress and its challenges. This is the first study to review and assess the progress of decriminalizing drug use since the policy intervention in 2009 with a specific focus on the perceptions of the policy for Vietnam’s drug control in policing. It discusses insights and considerations from government, law enforcement officials and civil society organisations to develop a deeper understanding of how harm reduction interventions – including decriminalisation – can co-exist within a broader and entrenched drug control strategy in Vietnam.

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