Concurrent Session 1C: Scaling Harm Reduction Interventions in Prisons: Opportunities, Trade-offs and Future Directions
Tracks
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| Wednesday, October 7, 2026 |
| 1:45 PM - 3:15 PM |
| Tycho + Kepler |
Details
Prisons remain one of the highest-risk environments for the transmission of hepatitis C, HIV, and other infectious diseases, yet harm reduction interventions remain unevenly implemented or non-existent across carceral settings worldwide. While evidence supports the effectiveness of interventions such as opioid agonist treatment (OAT) (including long-acting formulations of buprenorphine), prison needle and syringe programs (PNSPs), overdose prevention services including take home naloxone, many systems continue to face barriers related to funding, policy, workforce capacity, and support from prison administration and correctional staff and bureaucracies.
This session will explore the practical realities of implementing harm reduction interventions in prisons, drawing on experiences from different countries and program models. Through a series of short presentations followed by a moderated panel discussion, speakers will highlight both the benefits and operational challenges of scaling harm reduction services in
carceral settings.
By the end of the session, participants will:
• Understand the current landscape of harm reduction interventions in prisons across different countries/regions
• Gain practical insights into the implementation of selected specific interventions including facilitators/barriers
• Identify in-country mechanisms which support scale up
• Explore strategies for improving continuity of care and harm reduction coverage
• Identify opportunities to strengthen harm reduction responses in carceral systems globally
Speaker
Dr Behzad Hajarizadeh
Associate Professor
Unsw/ Kirby Institute
Ms Katrin Schiffer
C-EHRN Director
Correlation-European Harm Reduction Network
Introduction
1:45 PM - 1:50 PMBiography
Professor Marie Claire Van Hout
Vice President Research Innovation And Impact
South East Technological University
Case Study: Prison Needle and Syringe Programs: Implementation Lessons
1:50 PM - 2:05 PMBiography
Marie Claire Van Hout is Professor of International Health Policy and Practice, and Vice President for Research, Innovation and Impact at the South East Technological University in Ireland. She has been research active for over 25 years in the field of law, health inequalities and human rights of prison populations and has published over 350 peer reviewed journal articles and 100 funder reports. She consults regularly for the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime, UNAIDS, Council of Europe, and World Health Organization in Europe, the Middle East and Africa.
Dr. Justin Berk
Associate Professor
Brown University Health / Center For Health And Justice Transformation
Case Study: Long-Acting Buprenorphine in Prisons: Expanding Access to Opioid Agonist Treatment
2:05 PM - 2:20 PMBiography
Justin Berk, MD, MPH, MBA is an Associate Professor of Medicine, Pediatrics, and Epidemiology at the Warren Alpert Medical School of Brown University and Director of the Center for Health and Justice Transformation. He completed residency training at Johns Hopkins Hospital and practices as an addiction medicine provider. A former Medical Director of the Rhode Island Department of Corrections, his NIH-funded research focuses on substance use and hepatitis C treatment in carceral settings, including an ongoing trial of extended-release injectable buprenorphine in prison, aiming to improve treatment access and outcomes for this population.
Mr Sergei Bessonov
Coordinator
PF "Attika"
Preventing Overdose in Custody and After Release
2:20 PM - 2:35 PMBiography
Sergei Bessonov is a harm reduction expert and community advocate from Kyrgyzstan with more than 15 years of experience working with people who use drugs. He currently coordinates harm reduction, research, and community development projects at the Attika Public Foundation. Previously, he served as Executive Director of the Kyrgyz Harm Reduction Network and continues to support national and regional initiatives in collaboration with the Global Fund, INPUD, and ENPUD. His work focuses on overdose prevention, naloxone distribution, opioid agonist therapy, prison health, continuity of care after release, and community-led advocacy and policy development.
Professor Marie Claire Van Hout
Vice President Research Innovation And Impact
South East Technological University
Panellist
2:35 PM - 3:10 PMBiography
Dr. Justin Berk
Associate Professor
Brown University Health / Center For Health And Justice Transformation
Panellist
2:35 PM - 3:10 PMBiography
Mr Sergei Bessonov
Coordinator
PF "Attika"
Panellist
2:35 PM - 3:10 PMBiography
Sergei Bessonov is a harm reduction expert and community advocate from Kyrgyzstan with more than 15 years of experience working with people who use drugs. He currently coordinates harm reduction, research, and community development projects at the Attika Public Foundation. Previously, he served as Executive Director of the Kyrgyz Harm Reduction Network and continues to support national and regional initiatives in collaboration with the Global Fund, INPUD, and ENPUD. His work focuses on overdose prevention, naloxone distribution, opioid agonist therapy, prison health, continuity of care after release, and community-led advocacy and policy development.
INHSU 2026
Concluding Remarks
3:10 PM - 3:15 PMBiography
