More evidence or stronger political will: exploring the feasibility of needle and syringe programs in Ukrainian prisons.

Introduction: In 2007, the World Health Organization (WHO) recommended for prison authorities to introduce prison needle and syringe programs (PNSP) if they have any evidence that injecting drug use is taking place in prisons. This article presents descriptive evidence that injecting drug use takes place in Ukrainian prisons, it discusses how (denial of) access to injection equipment is regulated in the current system and what changes should be considered in order to implement PNSP.

Background: Ukrainian prisons still live by the laws and policies adopted in the Soviet Union.