Al-anwar Newspaper English news in Australia
The former crown prosecutor who ran the highly publicised inquiry into ice has renewed his call for a probe into drug use in NSW jails — more than two years after his “urgent” plea was ignored. “I had no idea how bad the problem was in the jail until I ran this inquiry,” Professor Dan Howard SC said.
“I came away from that inquiry shaking my head … The help that prisoners are not getting is extraordinary. We have really dropped the ball on this opportunity.”
Prof Howard handed down 109 recommendations to address the scourge in NSW in 2020 following the Special Inquiry into the Drug Ice. Since then the NSW government has failed to act on the recommendations outside of immediately rejecting five of them — one of which focused on implementing needle and syringe programs in NSW due to the number of inmates who use intravenously inside. “There should be a separate and urgent inquiry into the presence of drugs in … jail,” Prof Howard said.
“This is a lost opportunity for society to help these persons who often leave jail with the same drug problem they came in with — and so the cycle continues.” Former inmates said that instead of receiving help to fight their addictions, they were taught how to “safely” use needles.
Jeff Amatto, who spent time custody while battling a heroin addiction, said he had seen as many as 30 men line up and use the same needle.
