Vancouver Area Network of Drug Users

A review of major cases that the CLAS has undertaken since 1971 in its mission to provide legal assistance to disadvantaged individuals and develop law that benefits disadvantaged groups. Litigation and key cases are listed and described, in the areas of poor peoples' rights, women's rights, workers' compensation; human rights; aboriginal rights; the rights of people with mental illness; charitable tax law; unemployment insurance; and tenants' rights.

This Briefing report provides information on drug courts in the US; detailing the approaches used by state and local governments to address drug related crime. The report assessed drug court programs which were running prior to the 1994 Violent Crime Control and Law Enforcement Act which required the evaluation of these programs for continued or additional funding under Federal Grant program attached to the new Act. This briefing contains studies of 33 of 37 existing drug court programs and the methodology, scope and results are contained within the report. The briefing also contains all appendices related to the study. The US Congress was presented with this briefing's evaluations of the drug courts which were included and DOJ's responsibilities and plans for implementing further drug court programs. Conclusions and recommendations are included as well.

A pamphlet listing and providing contact information for community, health, legal, advocacy, information and housing services in the Downtown Eastside as of April, 2006.

Report giving the findings of research undertaken by the BC Persons with AIDS Society (BCPWA) to identify barriers to HIV/AIDS care in prisons on a provincial and national basis. They developed the IMPACT reporting form, which AIDS Service Organizations fill in to record the experiences and complaints of their clients in prison. Participant organizations identified many problems for prisoners, with regard to accessing HIV-related medications as well as methadone treatment. Organizations also reported lack of access to proper diet among their clients; breaches in confidentiality by prison staff; and poor access to doctors, elders, bloodwork, HIV preventative materials like condoms and bleach, and HIV testing. The report gives a set of recommendations based on these findings, including the need for continued use of IMPACT reporting forms (with some revisions); systemic and collective advocacy to eliminate the inequalities between standards of health care being provided to those in prison compared to the general community; and efforts to fully document rights violations of prisoners living with HIV/AIDS so that they may possibly be resolved through the court system.