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Justice Committee launches new inquiry into tackling drugs in prisons

17 December 2024

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 Andy Slaughter, 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.

Chair comment

Justice Committee Chair Andy Slaughter 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, or via the link at the top of this story, 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?

Further information

Image: House of Commons