Evelyn Akello, Mary Kaddu, Nswemu Kaggwa, Nazarius M. Tumwesigye, Jim Arinatwe, Michael Kyomya 1

 Uganda has a total of 233 prisons  The population of prisoners is about 35,000 (0.1% of the country’s population)  5% are female prisoners and 95% male prisoners  Remand prisoners comprise 56.6% of this population  Uganda prisons have an annual turnover of 40,000 persons 2

 Epidemiological studies show that about 55% of those received into custody are problematic drug users; alcohol inclusive  Plausible reasons for this high percentage could include;  Prisoners are usually from low social backgrounds  Prisons are stressful environments that exacerbate the habit of drug abuse 3

 A RSA was conducted in Uganda prisons to;  Identify factors influencing drug abuse among prisoners  Identify gaps in drug abuse programs in prisons  The rationale was to provide information for programming given the close association between drug abuse and HIV transmission  The prevalence of HIV in Uganda prisons is 11% vis-à-vis the national prevalence of 6.4% 4

 Data was collected from 34 of the 35 sampled prison units  A total of 459 prisoners were interviewed  360 males & 99 females  Stringent ethical considerations were followed;  Review of the study protocol by relevant IRBs  Informed consent  A semi-structured interviewer administered questionnaire was used 5

 In your opinion are there inmates who abuse drugs while in prison?  To what extent are drugs abused in prison? If yes, which drugs?  Have you ever abused drugs before imprisonment? If yes, which drugs?  Have you ever abused any drugs while in prison? If yes, which drugs?  How do drugs get into prison?  Why do inmates abuse drugs?  Are there Injecting Drug Users (IDU) in prisons? 6

 A large proportion of respondents (293) reported that there was drug abuse in prison.  90% tobacco/cigarettes,  49% cannabis sativa (marijuana),  17% catha edulis (mairungi)  No IDU reported  Reasons for drug abuse in prisons;  Reduce anxiety and stress (46% of respondents)  Established drug habit prior to imprisonment (24%)  Gain strength (17%) 7

 82% reported that they abused alcohol prior to imprisonment  Only 2% reported that they had abused alcohol while in prison (crude waragi) 8

 Reasons for low alcohol abuse in prisons  Impossible to smuggle alcohol in prisons, because of intense searches prisoners are subjected to as they get into prison  It is easier to smuggle tobacco because it can be “booted” but not alcohol  Hard to drink alcohol and not get caught because of state of drunkenness that can be induced with over consumption of alcohol 9

 The level of alcohol abuse in Uganda prisons is very minimal but abuse of other drugs is relatively high  Rigorous checks by prison warders and the bulk nature of alcohol contributes to the minimal incidents of alcohol abuse 10

 It can thus be deduced that alcohol and prisoners are not compatible  However, there is need for prison authorities to reduce abuse of other drugs  When incarcerated/imprisoned persons are deprived of a range of personal freedoms as they serve their sentences and drugs/alcohol access is one of them 11

Uganda Prisons Authority;  Should acquire modern equipment and techniques to reduce access to drugs by prisoners  Put in place drug support programs  To help incarcerated persons deal with withdrawal symptoms and other side effects  These programs were practically none-existent in prisons 12