Introduction
In recent years, there has been a serious increase in the commerce, distribution and use of drugs in Israel. This fact has impacted the daily management of prisons since many prisoners serve sentences due to drug-related crimes. With the increase of drug abuse in society in general, the prevalence of drug abuse among prisoners has also risen in recent years. One of several effects of this phenomenon has been the need for separation between prisoners who use drugs and those who do not. The Israel Prison Service (IPS) also maintains that it is advisable to use the period of incarceration as an opportunity for rehabilitation for the drug-affected population. IPS sees the treatment and rehabilitation of drug-abusing prisoners as a most important goal in the process of successful reintegration into society and reducing recidivism. The significance of this issue requires the involvement of all staff and professionals in IPS.
General Policy
IPS sees itself as part of the national social infrastructure and, as such, will contribute its share in the national fight against drugs by intensive intervention to reduce distribution, commerce, and use of drugs in prisons as well as by intensive prevention and treatment programs.
Essential Interventions and Goals
1. Prevention of smuggling and trafficking of drugs into prisons.
2. Prevention of commerce, distribution and use of drugs within prisons and stiff disciplinary actions against drug dealers in prisons.
3. Gathering of information and intelligence in order to more effectively fight against drug dealers.
4. Separation of drug-free prisoners from drug users.
5. Providing services of treatment and rehabilitation for drug users.
6. Reducing drug use in prisons through prevention programs including education and information dissemination.
7. Interaction with the community and involvement in research in order to increase our knowledge about drugs and drug abuse treatment.
General Directives for the Prevention of Smuggling and Distributing Drugs
1. The task of preventing drug trafficking into prisons and drug distribution within prisons is assigned to a special unit (“Dror”) operating throughout all IPS facilities. This unit is equipped with sophisticated technologies and devices to carry out its task.
2. Careful search in cells and on the body of prisoners.
3. Isolation and follow-up of prisoners suspected of introducing drugs within body cavities for 48 hours, until bowel movement.
4 Use of electronic devices for inspection of personal belongings and detection of drugs.
5 Use of dogs for the search of drugs.
6 Careful search of visitors.
General Directives for the Gathering of Information and Intelligence
1. Intelligence operations and contact with other authorities in order to gather information.
2. Drug dealers will be marked as intelligence objectives in order to deter their activities.
3. Prisoners involved in drug dealing will not be granted furloughs.
General Directives for the Prevention of Drug Dealing in Prison
1. IPS will publish orders and directives prohibiting the use of and dealing in drugs, and other drug-related activities.
2. Refusal of urinalysis by a prisoner will result in disciplinary action.
3. Police will be informed about every prisoner caught while holding, using, or trafficking drugs in order to press charges.
4. The reaction against drug offenders within the prisons will be immediate.
5. Drug dealers will be isolated in a special unit where they cannot represent a danger to others.
6. IPS will adopt a negative attitude toward drug offenders when appearing before the parole board.
7. IPS will operate its own toxicological laboratories for urinalysis in order to obtain prompt results.
General Directives for the Diagnosis and Classification of Drug-Free Prisoners
1. Prisoner population will be examined and diagnosed, so that drug-free prisoners will be assigned to special drug-free units.
2. Those drug-free units will exist in every prison in order to permit drug-free prisoners and those who were treated and rehabilitated, to live in a drug-free environment.
3. Prisoners living in drug-free units will be tested (urinalysis) to assure that the units remain drug-free.
4. Presently active drug dealers will not be assigned to those units, even if they are drug-free themselves. If they cease drug dealing for at least three months, they will be reconsidered.
General Directives for Withdrawal, Treatment, and Rehabilitation of Drug-Abusers
1. Treatment and rehabilitation of drug-addicted prisoners will be carried out on the basis of a comprehensive approach including medical, psychological, psycho-social and family intervention. IPS will operate different facilities with a variety of programs in order to enable prisoners to receive treatment according to their needs and abilities.
2. Prisoners showing motivation for withdrawal who cannot participate in a structured treatment program will be detoxified in an ambulatory fashion in their cells in detention centers and prisons.
3. Medication for withdrawal will include symptom alleviators as well as drug substitutes like methadone in decreasing dosage.
4. Decisions concerning medication will be the sole responsibility of the medical personnel, and only according to professional criteria and under adequate control.
5. Psycho-social treatment for prisoners who withdraw will be carried out by drug-abuse treatment officers and social workers.
6. Prisoners in treatment will receive priority for employment in prison.
7. Workshops and groups will be provided in the various prisons in order to increase motivation among prisoners for drug-abuse treatment.
8. A special effort will be made to establish treatment facilities in every region of IPS.
9. Prisoners who desire to undergo the complete treatment will be examined by drug-abuse treatment officers in order to determine their ability and needs, and to design a treatment plan accordingly.
10. Provision of methadone treatment is one of the treatment modalities in IPS.
General Directives for Prevention of Drug-Abuse
1. Efforts will be made to improve the knowledge and professional capabilities of all staff in order to enroll them in the general effort to prevent drug abuse in prisons.
2. Prevention efforts are considered a most important element in the fight against drugs.
3. Educational activities will be part of the general effort to prevent the use of drugs and to inform prisoners of risk factors related to drug abuse.
4. Prevention activities will be directed towards three specific target populations:
* Drug-free population, to keep them drug-free
* Occasional users, to try to have them stop using drugs
* Drug-addicts, to influence them to enter treatment
5. Ex-addicts will be enrolled in the general prevention effort.
6. Narcotics Anonymous groups will be admitted in the prisons to enhance prisoners' resolve to abstain from drugs and increase motivation for treatment.
General Directives for Community Involvement and Research
1. IPS will establish contact with experts in the field from the community in order to exchange knowledge and experience.
2. Efforts will be made to initiate research in the following fields:
* Prevalence of drug-abuse in prisons
* Prisoners’ attitudes and knowledge about drug use and abuse
* Medical, epidemiological, social and criminological aspects of drug- addiction
* Treatment outcome and effectiveness
3. IPS will establish contact with universities and different treatment and prevention agencies.
4. IPS will sponsor professional workshops to discuss different aspects of the drug problem and its treatment.
5. IPS' regular publications will carry a special section about drug problems.
6. Contact with treatment agencies in the community will also ensure treatment continuation for released prisoners who were treated in IPS.