When talking about misconduct, which includes violence, threats of violence, theft, vandalism, or otherwise harmful, antisocial or even criminal acts in harm reduction organizations, it’s important to view them from a slightly different lens than is typical.

In traditional organizations that are solely based on traditional models of power, it’s common for there to be serious concern with “security”. Harm reduction leaders see this as somewhat misguided. Many reported seeing some criminality as inevitable when working with desperate people who may not be completely in touch with reality.

Given that reality, rather than be angry or even surprised with people they serve when they behave in expected ways, harm reduction leaders prepare for that kind of behavior and respond appropriately without a lot of personalization or reactivity. OGs shared that personalizing the actions of desperate individuals is detrimental to one’s own mental health and should be avoided.

At the same time, there are practical steps that many harm reduction leaders recommend for preventing misconduct:

• Respect and Fairness—As discussed in the section on Big H, Big R Harm Reduction, treating people with respect, dignity, and fairness is the most important thing you can do to prevent policy violations.
• Furniture—OGs recommend that furniture, while comfortable, should also be either very light, or very heavy and difficult to pick up. Outdoors, this may mean using light plastic furnishings, which have the benefit of also being easier to transport. Another alternative would be furniture that is bolted in place; Most harm reduction leaders do not recommend this as it is reminiscent of institutional settings.
• Locks & Doors—With regard to locks and doors, there is more information in the section on bathrooms and showers, but any spaces where participants might go for privacy must be accessible (i.e., able to be unlocked) from the outside due to potential medical emergency or injury concerns. If possible, all doors should be securable and all doors should be accessible from the outside in case of emergency. Keyed locks are fine although, as a practical matter, electronic locks can be more convenient for organizations to manage.
• Alarms & Cameras—It’s important to have alarms and security cameras in place at fixed-site locations, especially ones pointed towards the outside that cover any areas where there are storage facilities or vehicles. Cameras should never be placed inside private areas like bathrooms or counseling rooms. Cameras can be placed throughout your harm reduction space. To increase community credibility, OGs recommend being transparent, with signage about where and why you have cameras.