Drug use in French prisons. Results of the ESSPRI survey

Drug use – both licit and illicit – by people in prison is recognized as a public health priority, in France as in the rest of Europe. However, in France, prevalence data on the use of psychoactive substances by people in prison were, until recently, based on old surveys. Moreover, these surveys, which are often limited to a restricted territory or to a particular type of prison, provide data that are not representative of people in prison nationwide (all types of prison and all lengths of sentence). Lastly, some of these surveys ask about drug use only on entry to prison, without providing any information on what happens to this substance consumption during the sentence.

In order to provide robust data on the use of psychoactive substances in prisons, the French Monitoring Centre for Drugs and Drug Addiction (OFDT) – the focal point for France within the REITOX, coordinated by the EMCDDA –, carried out the first edition of a statistical survey in 2023: the Survey on Health and Substance Use in Prison (Enquête sur la santé et les substances en prison – ESSPRI). This survey, conducted among people in prison, is based on a sample of over 1,000 adult male prisoners, from nearly 30 different prisons in France, representative of all types of prisons and all lengths of sentence. The aim of the survey is to quantify the use of legal and illegal psychoactive substances (tobacco, alcohol, cannabis, cocaine, heroin, etc.) in prison, and to provide data on health and living conditions in prison and on the socio-demographic background of inmates. Carried out using a methodology comparable to that of general population surveys, it thus offers a comparison of consumption behavior with the non-incarcerated population. In addition, the ESSPRI survey allows comparison with similar surveys carried out in various European countries, and with certain dimensions of the European Questionnaire on Drug Use among People living in prison (EQDP).

This communication first addresses a number of methodological issues related to the ESSPRI survey protocol, in comparison with other European surveys. It then presents the main results of the survey, in particular the levels of use of psychoactive substances (licit and illicit), which are particularly high for tobacco and cannabis compared with those observed in the French population. The paper concludes with a number of ethical considerations relating to the implementation of the ESSPRI survey.

This communication is part of the following group (led by Linda Montanari) :

* EQDP/EMCDDA group

* European drug monitoring in prison