@article{7d8206d4ec9448d884390032fd867a58,
title = "PWUD Experiences of Criminal Justice Reform: Enduring Tensions Between Policing and Harm Reduction in Baltimore, MD",
abstract = "In this paper we explore people who use drugs (PWUD) perceptions and experiences of drug-related law enforcement in a major U.S. city. Maryland recently implemented several harm reduction policies/interventions aiming to improve PWUD-police relationships, such as the Good Samaritan Law (GSL), intended to avoid criminalizing police encounters with PWUD in cases of overdose. PWUD, though most impacted by these efforts, are seldom included in the decision making process. Data collection occurred in Baltimore City, a majority-Black city with a history of structural racism, where high overdose fatalities necessitate collaborative interventions, but where over-policing and abusive practices have generated widespread community mistrust of police. Between October 2018 and December 2019, we conducted in-depth interviews with 20 PWUD in Baltimore City to understand their perspectives of policing and its impact on harm reduction practices (specifically willingness to seek overdose assistance) in the context of the GSL. PWUD reported ongoing police mistrust, which impacted their harm reduction practices and experiences of laws such as the GSL. Results question whether police, as first responders to overdose, can ever avoid criminalizing the encounter. Findings intend to guide future public health-law enforcement collaboration efforts in the context of the current de-policing debate.",
keywords = "Good Samaritan Law, PWUD, harm reduction, overdose, policing, policy",
author = "Footer, {Katherine H.A.} and Urquhart, {Glenna J.} and Bradley Silberzahn and Saba Rouhani and Weicker, {Noelle P.} and Jill Owczarzak and Park, {Ju Nyeong} and Miles Morris and Sherman, {Susan G.}",
note = "Funding Information: The author(s) disclosed receipt of the following financial support for the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article: The project was supported by Behavioral Health System Baltimore (AS019-HRO-JHPH) and the Maryland Department of Health and Mental Hygiene through Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration block grant (128188). Dr. Susan G. Sherman and Dr. Ju Nyeong Park are supported by the Johns Hopkins University Center for AIDS Research (1P30AI094189). Dr. Saba Rouhani is a National Institute of Health Drug Dependency Epidemiology Fellow supported by the National Institute for Drug Abuse (T32DA007292). Funding Information: The authors gratefully thank the participants in this study for their time. They also thank all members of the PROMOTE study team who contributed to study design, data collection, and analysis, and the Maryland Department of Health for their ongoing collaboration and partnership. The author(s) disclosed receipt of the following financial support for the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article: The project was supported by Behavioral Health System Baltimore (AS019-HRO-JHPH) and the Maryland Department of Health and Mental Hygiene through Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration block grant (128188). Dr. Susan G. Sherman and Dr. Ju Nyeong Park are supported by the Johns Hopkins University Center for AIDS Research (1P30AI094189). Dr. Saba Rouhani is a National Institute of Health Drug Dependency Epidemiology Fellow supported by the National Institute for Drug Abuse (T32DA007292). Publisher Copyright: {\textcopyright} The Author(s) 2022.",
year = "2023",
month = jun,
doi = "10.1177/00914509221136913",
language = "English (US)",
volume = "50",
pages = "176--189",
journal = "Contemporary Drug Problems",
issn = "0091-4509",
publisher = "Federal Legal Publications Inc.",
number = "2",
}