Municipal police support for harm reduction services in officer-led referrals of people who inject drugs in Tijuana, Mexico.

ABSTRACT:

Background

Police constitute a structural determinant of health and HIV risk of people who inject drugs (PWID), and negative encounters with law enforcement present significant barriers to PWID access to harm reduction services. Conversely, police may facilitate access via officer-led referrals, potentiating prevention of HIV, overdose, and drug-related harms. We aimed to identify police characteristics associated with support for officer-led referrals to addiction treatment services and syringe service programs (SSP). We hypothesized that officers who believe harm reduction services are contradictory to policing priorities in terms of safety and crime reduction will be less likely to support police referrals.

Methods

Between January and June 2018, police officers (n = 305)

SUBMITTER: Baker P 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC8313001 | biostudies-literature | 2021 Jul

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature