Under the Skin: Draws on affidavits and testimonies from people across Canada with experience using drugs or sharing needles inside a federal prison

The scientific evidence and legal justifications for prison-based needle and syringe programs (PNSPs) have long been established — including in our 2009 report, Clean Switch — yet still the Canadian government will not implement them. Now, the Canadian HIV/AIDS Legal Network’s most recent publication, Under the Skin, brings a vivid and stirring human dimension to this story. Drawing on affidavits and testimonies from people across Canada with experience using drugs or sharing needles inside a federal prison, Under the Skin paints a portrait of suffering and systemic discrimination that flies in the face of both international guidelines and Canada’s own Charter of Rights and Freedoms. The voices of these courageous men and women — across the range of provinces, backgrounds and walks of life — combine into an urgent appeal for dignity, health and human rights, aimed straight for the halls of Parliament.