Needle and syringe programs are a proven public health intervention that provide free, sterile injecting equipment to people who use drugs. By reducing needle sharing, these programs help prevent the spread of blood-borne viruses such as hepatitis C and HIV and minimise life-threatening bacterial infections.

Australia leads the world in community-based needle and syringe programs. But they are not used in Australian prisons – which are hotspots for injection-related infections.

This is a breach of human rights and United Nations resolutions, which make clear health-care standards for people in prison must be equivalent to those in the community.

In addition to meeting human rights standards, our new modelling – the first of its kind in Australia – shows there would be significant economic benefits to implementing prison-based programs.

Australia is a world leader in needle and syringe programs in the community. There are 4,218 sites across the country (as of 2021). Each year they distribute more than 50 million needles and syringes.

Among people who inject drugs, that’s about 508 needles and syringes per person each year — the highest rate globally, and more than double the World Health Organization’s benchmark for high needle and syringe program coverage (200 per person per year).

For reference, the country with the second-highest coverage was Finland (with 450 needles and syringes per person who injects drugs per year) followed by the Netherlands (367).

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