Steve Reed responds to the release of the Prisons White Paper

Steve Reed MP, Labour’s Shadow Justice Secretary, responding to the release of the Prisons White Paper, said:

“It’s no wonder that drug use among prisoners has soared in the last decade because the Conservatives have mismanaged our prisons, leading them to become awash with drugs, violence and disorder.

"Conservative incompetence, cuts to the whole justice system and a lack of oversight of contracted companies has left prisons understaffed, dangerous and overcrowded universities of crime where drug addiction is rife and re-offending is commonplace.

“Boris Johnson and the Conservatives cannot be trusted to clean up the mess they’ve made in prisons because they are soft on crime - and with their chaotic court case backlog, violent offenders will be allowed to continue to roam Britain’s streets for longer."

Ends

Notes to editors

• Drugs found in prisons have increased by nearly 500% in the last decade:

HMPPS Annual Digest, April 2020 to March 2021 - GOV.UK