Provincial Criminalization, Health and Human Rights: Social Science Com-ponent

A complex web of federal, provincial and municipal laws, regulations and policies affect the lives and the health of people who are homeless, use drugs, and/or engage in sex work. These populations also have high incidents or elevated risk of contracting HIV and/or HCV, as well as risk of overdose death. The goal of the project is to gather province-wide data on the role of legal systems in criminalizing, and increasing the risk to life, health and safety, of these populations, and in particular, increasing the risk of contracting HIV, HCV or overdose death. It will examine municipal bylaws, enforcement tactics, judicial conditions, and conditions of confinement. The research will contribute to Pivots law reform initiatives, increase awareness of health harms associated with local legal practices, and provide a framework for in-community legal rights education and strategic legal action.

Faculty Supervisor:

Nicholas Blomley

Student:

Noah Quastel

Partner:

Pivot Legal Society

Discipline:

Geography / Geology / Earth science

Sector:

Management of companies and enterprises

University:

Simon Fraser University