Human Rights in drug treatment

[Lelee]

That's a great piece of information Froude and yes it is down to the doctor who's there at the time.......if there is one. 

Linda

[Jim]

virtually no police doctors will prescribe methadone these day.  I have a friend who is a police doctor and a DSP doctor.  She knows her stuff, but in custody suites she can only prescribe Dfs.  Basically its probably mostly down to 2 police doctors ending up in jail because 2 people overdosed one of whom died a while back.  The argument is that its often impossible to verify someones prescription and dose.  However it should be possible 9-5 monday to friday so it doesn't require a blanket policy in my view.  Its mostly large agenies providing police medical services these days (my friend works for probabaly the biggest) they set the policies and the doctors have to stick to it whatever they feel - in some parts of the country you'll be lucky to see a doctor as the agencies only use nurses on a routine basis.

[sapphire]

In my area if you haven't been dosed on the day you're in the po po cells, they will either get you your scriot from the chemist, or get it from your home if you are on more than daily pickup. On weekends they will dose you,but no more than 30ml until they can on monday verify your script. Unless you have bottles or scripts with your dose on (recent bottles btw) then they will dose you accordingly. The same goes for benzo's.

[derek d j]

Back when I was familiar with such things, the prisoner was fine for methadone in the police station but everything stopped dead once they hit the prison system. A mighty deterrent and it seemed sort of fair, in a way, you should suffer extra punishment - after all, the point of the script was to halt your lowdown criminal ways. Had the side effect, tho', of causing drug cons to equate reality with the nick, which hardly helped their recovery prospects.

I live near a halfway house for recently discharged prisoners. With the dearth of social housing, they can expect a stay of years in what are, by any standard, pretty crappy conditions. The three squares, hot and cot of the local nick can seem attractive by comparison and, with methadone also offered, you can hardly blame the residents for thinking the potential gain of further crime far outweighs the loss.

Interestingly, I believe the contract prisons are more generous when it comes to doling out the syrup than the state ones. Maybe they've an eye on repeat bookings. Prisons are horrible, depressing places that hardly encourage honesty but somehow the discharged convict is expected to metamorphise into a model citizen at the gate. I've no answers beyond cynicism but I've been impressed of late by a couple of hopeless, drug casualty recidivists who lucked into the right 'recovery champions' during their last stretch. Both are like new men and look as if they've their acts together for keeps. Whoever prompted the change deserves applause and a wider recognition.

I can see Sapph and Linda at the High Court this summer setting a human rights precedent. Make sure the compensation is a class award and backdated, I've known geezers who stayed wrecked for weeks on their Prison Service awards. Wear the right outfits to court, catch the eye of the photographers on the steps and stardom awaits.

[sapphire]

Back when I was familiar with such things, the prisoner was fine for methadone in the police station but everything stopped dead once they hit the prison system. A mighty deterrent and it seemed sort of fair, in a way, you should suffer extra punishment - after all, the point of the script was to halt your lowdown criminal ways. Had the side effect, tho', of causing drug cons to equate reality with the nick, which hardly helped their recovery prospects.

I live near a halfway house for recently discharged prisoners. With the dearth of social housing, they can expect a stay of years in what are, by any standard, pretty crappy conditions. The three squares, hot and cot of the local nick can seem attractive by comparison and, with methadone also offered, you can hardly blame the residents for thinking the potential gain of further crime far outweighs the loss.

Interestingly, I believe the contract prisons are more generous when it comes to doling out the syrup than the state ones. Maybe they've an eye on repeat bookings. Prisons are horrible, depressing places that hardly encourage honesty but somehow the discharged convict is expected to metamorphise into a model citizen at the gate. I've no answers beyond cynicism but I've been impressed of late by a couple of hopeless, drug casualty recidivists who lucked into the right 'recovery champions' during their last stretch. Both are like new men and look as if they've their acts together for keeps. Whoever prompted the change deserves applause and a wider recognition.

I can see Sapph and Linda at the High Court this summer setting a human rights precedent. Make sure the compensation is a class award and backdated, I've known geezers who stayed wrecked for weeks on their Prison Service awards. Wear the right outfits to court, catch the eye of the photographers on the steps and stardom awaits.

When my exH got discharged from doing half a ten stretch, he wsa sent to a halfway house, even though we had a perfectly good house he could have lived in, and the drug use was so rife thst whilst he got off drugs in jail, he got back on them atthis halfway (I hesitate to call it a house) AS it is more an open prison!

[froude]

 Im not asking them to prescribe,im asking for MY MEDICATION that is already prescribed for me by my DSP/ CPN,im only asking for MY PRESCRIPTION.Im well aware of the Police doctor's prescribing or should i say lack of it,and their feeble attempts to give you a DF.Prescribing DF's that are not going to help someone in Police custody, is borderline torture,I know many people(me included) who are given DF's,(as we all know isnt a drug for opiate treatment) in the cells and you might as well give them a cup of tea.I can remember having to do your cluck in the Police Station and then at the local Prison with nothing but your cramps and no sleep,no energy  for over 6 weeks-3months(this is before tv in your cells and psp's)when you had to shit on newspaper and Piss in your slop out bucket and listen to Steve Wright on Radio 1.(thats torture in its self lol )
If there aint a doctor when you come into custody,you have the  right to ask for one if there aint one in the station at the time of your arrest.Now when your arrested nowadays the local D.S.P have leaflets at the Police Station(custody suite)or their numbers are on the ceiling of your cell,as most D.S.P's sort your meds out then all you have to do you would think is to ask to see them,but even this does'nt happen.

P.A.C.E ACT.
9.10 No police officer may administer or supervise the self-administration of medically
prescribed controlled drugs of the types and forms listed in the Misuse of Drugs
Regulations 2001, Schedule 2 or 3. A detainee may only self-administer such drugs
under the personal supervision of the registered medical practitioner authorising their
use. Drugs listed in Schedule 4 or 5 may be distributed by the custody officer for selfadministration if they have consulted the registered medical practitioner authorising their
use, this may be done by telephone, and both parties are satisfied self-administration will
not expose the detainee, police officers or anyone else to the risk of harm or injury

So under the P.A.C.E ACT the detainee under the supervision of the doctor can have their Methadone given to them.Its all down to the Doctor's at the time  of your detention,it has also been documented that Doctor's who see the same people in custody time after time are not giving them  the medication.I have been in all different custody suites from Selby ,Yorkshire,to Reading in Berkshire and ultimately comes down to the doctor.Its like you go in and say you have a script ,oh thats it your put on the computer as addicted to drugs ,whats all that about ,then straight away the Police ask if you want to see the doctor you say yeah and they say what for ,you say methadone script and then its gone over their heads Methadone and heroin runs parallel in their eyes and pass it over to the doc on duty,so to say its down to the Police it is not ,its down to the doctor in every case , like you said death in cells is not what you want and 2 doctors who were probably blagged are now on a buss mans holiday.Have a great day all the best Froude

[froude]

Exactly Saphh,When i was sentenced in 2002,the judge read my P.S.R(pre sentence reports)and in the reports was a recommendation for a drug rehab order,the judge was going to adjourn for 6 weeks for probation results and i said, "No dont bother its just a load of people going there because they have to and drugs were rife and i dont want to go there ,i can get off drugs now in Prison",he gave me a 3 and i should of got at least another five just for previous.All the best Froude.