Titre : | Between care and control: Examining surveillance practices in harm reduction (2023) |
Auteurs : | L. MICHAUD ; E. VAN DER MEULEN ; A. GUTA |
Type de document : | Article : Périodique |
Dans : | Contemporary Drug Problems (Vol.50, n°1, March 2023) |
Article en page(s) : | 3-24 |
Langues: | Anglais |
Discipline : | PRE (Prévention - RdRD / Prevention - Harm reduction) |
Mots-clés : |
Thésaurus géographique CANADAThésaurus mots-clés REDUCTION DES RISQUES ET DES DOMMAGES ; USAGER ; PROGRAMME ; ECHANGE DE SERINGUES ; SALLE DE CONSOMMATION A MOINDRE RISQUE ; TRAITEMENT DE MAINTENANCE |
Résumé : | As harm reduction programs and services proliferate, people who use drugs (PWUD) are increasingly subjected to surveillance through the collection of their personal information, systematic observation, and other means. The data generated from these practices are frequently repurposed across various institutional sites for clinical, evaluative, epidemiological, and administrative uses. Rationales provided for increased surveillance include the more effective provision of care, service optimization, risk stratification, and efficiency in resource allocation. With this in mind, our reflective essay draws on empirical analysis of work within harm reduction services and movements to reflect critically on the impacts and implications of surveillance expansion. While we argue that many surveillance practices are not inherently problematic or harmful, the unchecked expansion of surveillance under a banner of health and harm reduction may contribute to decreased uptake of services, rationing and conditionalities tied to service access, the potential deepening of health disparities amongst some PWUD, and an overlay of health and criminal-legal systems. In this context, surveillance relies on the enlistment of a range of therapeutic actors and reflects the permeable boundary between care and control. We thus call for a broader critical dialogue within harm reduction on the problems and potential impacts posed by surveillance in service settings, the end to data sharing of health information with law enforcement and other criminal legal actors, and deference to the stated need among PWUD for meaningful anonymity when accessing harm reduction and health services. |
Domaine : | Drogues illicites / Illicit drugs |
Affiliation : | Socio-Legal Studies Graduate Program, York University, Toronto, Ontario, Canada |
Cote : | Abonnement |
Lien : | https://doi.org/10.1177/00914509221128598 |
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