Number of addicts in prison doubles as warders struggle to stem ‘epidemic’ of drugs

THE number of prisoners developing drug problems in jail has more than doubled in just five years as staff struggle to bring the epidemic of Spice and other substances under control, a study has found.

The proportion of inmates drawn into drugs rose 8.4 points to almost 15 per cent between 2013-14 and 2018-19, according to analysis by Reform, a think tank.

Prisons have used body scanners to spot people smuggling in drugs, “sniffer” technology for letters and clothes impregnated with the synthetic cannabinoid Spice, anti-drone measures to prevent drugs being flown in and extra searches by dogs.

However, three years after the government promised radical prison reform, the think tank claimed much of the sector is not equipped to disrupt drug supply, and security standards vary from prison to prison.

It cited as an example HMP Nottingham, a category-b prison with high levels of violence and drug use, which received a body scanner after a serious warning from Her Majesty’s Inspectorate of Prisons. Yet, HMP Bedford, another category-b jail which received the same warning, did not.

It echoes a report in October by Sue Mcallister, the new prisons and probation ombudsman, which warned that even prisons with strong drugs policies were “struggling to stem the supply and demand for drugs”.

She said there were 60 drug-related deaths in jails in 2018.

Reform called for a review into the abolition of short-term prison sentences, saying the current number of inmates entering jails for low-level offences was contributing to a “destabilising churn” and overcrowding.

The think tank found the £156million allocated for prison maintenance will fall a long way short of the current £900million backlog.

It said there was a £116-a-week pay gap between the lowest-paid prison officers and police officers, and that despite pledges by the Government not to shut any prisons, some were unfit for purpose and should be earmarked for closure.

The Ministry of Justice said it was investing £100 million in airport-style security, including X-ray body scanners, which was part of a £2.75billion investment to make jails safer for offenders and staff.