Using in jail and hep C

Interview with 3 people with lived experience of incarceration who gave us the lowdown on the risk of hep C in jail and how it is best avoided.

Samuel

Using in jail is nothing like outside.

When you’re in jail, what you do affects everyone. If someone gets done for contraband, everyone gets ramped. And if you use cleanly, everyone benefits.

The first time you see a jail fit, it’s really confronting. Then you go to use it! You’re pushing, but the needle isn’t piercing the skin. Even if they’ve just been sharpened, jail fits are blunt as. Using a prison fit means butchering your veins, even if you are near the front of the queue!

Many people think catching hep C is a given if you use in jail, but there’s a lot you can do to avoid it. I’ve seen both ways of using… no cleaning or a single squirt of water vs. cleaning equipment properly with FINCOL. Try and get in a group that takes hep C seriously. My crew did as much as we could. That meant using FINCOL between shots and on all the equipment, not just the fits, having individual spoons when possible, and not letting blood get into the mix. It also means getting tested and treated for hep C and HIV. If you don’t have it, you can’t pass it on.

Back in the day we had no idea that hot water makes blood set. We thought boiling was the way to get fits clean. We know better now… water or FINCOL, it needs to be cold in order to lift the blood.

People use mostly from boredom, it’s like a day-long holiday. But forming a habit is a quick way of getting yourself knocked. It’s easy to get credit – I mean, you’re not going anywhere – but if you can’t pay your bills you’re in big trouble. I say to newbies – be careful, the rules are different inside. The gear is very expensive and the money path is tricky.

You need to be aware that the longer you are in jail, the less judgemental you become which may mean relaxing your standards around harm reduction. And remember, others may be too anxious or depressed to manage their health and safety as you do. A prisoner without hope is dangerous or dead.

I found hope through learning about myself. I used to think I couldn’t control my anger. Now I realise how much I am motivated by anxiety from past traumatic experiences. I now make decisions – I don’t just let my feelings control me like they used to. I think about consequences.

Bradley

A mate of mine got hep C. We were sharing a cell and I saw the whole thing. It was horrible, he was really crook. He lost weight and went as yellow as Big Bird. They couldn’t do anything as far as treatment is concerned until that settled down. If anyone saw what I saw, they would do anything in their power to not get hep C. It made a huge impact on me. I thought, holy shit, that could be me.

A lot of guys use needles in jail because there is nothing else to do. And that’s fine, but they need to think about how to avoid hep C. They’ll clean the fit with FINCOL but only once a week, or between drops. When the gear is there, it’s just out of one arm into another with no thought about hep C.

I figured out for myself what’s safe and what’s not. I’m not one to say anything to anyone else, I mean you’ve got to do your own jail, but I wonder if other guys don’t give a shit or if they don’t know how to do it and don’t know how or who to ask. I think the important thing is leading by example. If someone doesn’t show the guys what to do, they’re not going to know. I do think if they had seen how sick you get with hep C, they would think twice about taking it so lightly.

I have to say that all the tattooing I have seen in jail has been good. I’ve only seen guys who are real tattoo artists on the outside and they are dedicated and really finicky. They are religious about looking after their equipment. It’s FINCOL all the way and a new pin for each person – usually you have to bring your own. And the results are great. I’m pleased that some guys have chosen to get my artwork tattooed.

I’ve been tested for hep C and I’m healthy as. I’m getting out in about 10 months and I want to make sure I go home healthy and fit. It’s a lot harder doing the time when you have a family on the outside but it’s a good motivator for staying healthy.

There’s only a certain amount the clinic can do. You have to do your own thinking and decide what’s important to you. And if it’s your family, well you can’t be selfish, you have to take steps to make sure you are keeping them healthy and safe.

I’d never been in jail before and my family are my lifeline. I need to repay them by ensuring I am of maximum use to them. Learning what’s important to me has been a very hard lesson. I’ve been really selfish and that got me here. No more.

Lewis

I am married and have kids, so it’s really important to me that I don’t take something like hepatitis home to them. Your beloved family is there, waiting for you to come out. When you do get home, you need to reward that love and patience by being the best person you can. You shouldn’t be bringing them harm or more grief in any way. I have caused enough grief. I want to go home safe and healthy and be of use to my family.

Hep C is usually a secretive, hidden thing. I think hepatitis is too important to keep quiet. We must have a place where we can ask questions easily and find out all the important information about how to stay safe.

I was very concerned that I might have hep C and I was really relieved to find out I wasn’t living with it. To have that confidence that I’m hep C free is amazing. I would like to have tests more regularly, maybe once a year. I was also pleased to find out that 98% of people who have hep C are able to be treated and cured. So if the worst happens and you do get it, it is not all doom.