Drug policies are a key contributor to prison population and to the incarceration of people who use drugs. Approximately 2.2 million are detained for drug offenses, with 22% (470,000 individuals) imprisoned for drug possession for personal use. Drug use prevalence is significantly higher in prisons than in the community. Despite States' obligations to protect the health rights of incarcerated individuals and the heightened risks associated with closed settings for people who use drugs, these obligations are regularly infringed. This includes inadequate access to quality healthcare and harm reduction services for people in prison. Despite States' obligations to protect the health rights of incarcerated individuals and the heightened risks associated with closed settings for people who use drugs, these obligations are regularly infringed. This includes inadequate access to quality healthcare and harm reduction services for people in prisons.

In an interactive format, we will illustrate the main human rights standards on access to health and harm reduction in prisons and share lessons learned from previous advocacy and strategic litigation experience. Specifically, the workshop will discuss:
1. Awareness of human rights standards on access to health and harm reduction in prison,
2. How to conduct prison monitoring,
3. Understand how to navigate and use HRI’s human rights database to support advocacy work and
4. Networking with CSOs working on similar topics

The workshop, co-organised by HRI and UNMode, as part of the Prison Health and Rights Consortium (PHRC), will allow participants to learn about human rights monitoring in prisons, familiarise themselves with a new interactive database on human rights standards and learn about advocacy opportunities and strategic litigation before the UN human rights system. It will also strengthen participants' understanding of how to use human rights standards to hold States accountable for their obligation to promote a rights-based approach to drug policy.