The Justice Committee is today (Tuesday, 17 December) launching a
new inquiry into tackling drugs in prisons.
MPs on the cross-party Committee, chaired by Labour MP , will examine the scale and
impact of drugs in prisons in England and Wales, including the
primary factors driving demand, plus the effect of drugs in
prisons on safety, security, staffing and prisoner
well-being.
The inquiry will look into the supply of drugs into prisons, the
involvement of organised criminal gangs in the distribution and
trafficking of drugs in prisons, plus the use of technology
including drones and mobile phones in facilitating the process.
It will also analyse the effectiveness of current measures to
tackle the issue, including drug testing and drug treatment for
prisoners, substance-free wings and screening
tools.
In October 2024, the Ministry of Justice published information
following a Freedom of Information request about the rise in the
number of drones sighted or reported in or around prisons in
England and Wales for the five years between 2019 and 2023
(inclusive). There were 478 in 2022 and 1,063 in 2023.
Justice Committee Chair MP said: “The
extent of drug use in prisons across England and Wales is an
increasing cause for concern. Their presence - particularly new
psychoactive substances and synthetic cannabinoids - is having a
destabilising effect on prison safety, security as well as on
over-stretched prison staff and inmates in over-crowded
jails.
“This timely inquiry will examine the scale of the problem
and impact drugs are having across the crumbling prison estate
which is already grappling with a severe capacity crisis. Staff
and vulnerable prisoners are being put at risk by the activities
of organised criminal gangs and proliferation of illicit drugs
entering the system.
“The Committee will analyse the factors driving demand, the
use of technology including drones and mobile phones in
facilitating activity and look at how current measures to tackle
drugs in prisons, including drug treatment, could be improved. At
a time of acute pressure across the whole of the prison estate,
it is vital that effective solutions are found to reduce the many
harms caused by drugs.”
Terms of reference for the call for evidence:
The Committee invites written submissions through the inquiry
website addressing any
or all of the issues raised in the following terms of reference
by January 31, 2025.
Scale and impact
Q1 What is the current scale of drug use in prisons in England
and Wales?
- What are the primary factors
driving the demand for drugs in prisons?
- To what extent are new psychoactive
substances and synthetic cannabinoids a growing challenge
compared to traditional drugs?
Q2 What impact does the presence of drugs have on the mental and
physical wellbeing of prisoners, particularly vulnerable
prisoners or those not previously involved in illicit activity?
Q3 What is the impact of drugs on the safety of the prison
environment for prisoners and staff?
Tackling the supply of drugs into prisons
Q4 What are the common routes for bringing drugs into prisons,
and what recent trends have been observed in these methods?
- How prevalent is the involvement of
organised criminal gangs in the distribution and trafficking of
drugs in prisons?
- What role does the advancement of
technology (such as drones and mobile phones) play in
facilitating the ingress of drugs into prisons?
- How is data on drug smuggling
collected, analysed and used to inform preventative strategies?
Q5 How can the supply of drugs into prisons be better tackled to
eliminate the availability of substances?
- How effective are measures to
prevent visitors from smuggling drugs into prisons?
- To what extent are measures to
detect and prevent staff corruption sufficient?
- What are the barriers to greater
use of technological countermeasures, and how can these be
overcome?
Q6 What examples are there of effective interventions to prevent
and disrupt drug supply within prisons?
Q7 How effective is collaboration between the police, National
Crime Agency and HMPPS in tackling the role of organised crime
gangs in bringing drugs into prisons?
Tackling demand
Q8 How effective are existing measures, such as substance-free
wings, in tackling the demand for drugs in prisons?
Q9 What impact does drug testing have on reducing demand in
prisons, and to what extent is HMPPS's current approach to drug
testing effective?
Q10 What role should prison governors and staff play in
identifying and addressing drug misuse?
Support for prisoners
Q11 To what extent is drug treatment and healthcare in prisons
effective?
- To what extent are there sufficient
resources and trained professionals to support prisoners with
their recovery?
- How effective are screening tools
in identifying individuals with drug-related issues at the point
of entry?
- How effective are current practices
for the continuity of drug treatment services post-release?
Q12 What improvements can be made to the commissioning and
delivery of drug treatment services to ensure better outcomes?
Q13 Overall, what progress has been made to date on
implementation of the Government's 10-year ‘From Harm to Hope'
drug strategy in relation to tackling drugs in prisons?
