Committees

Tackling drugs in prisons

Inquiry

The Justice Committee has launched an inquiry that will examine the scale and impact of drugs in prisons in England and Wales, including the primary factors driving demand. The inquiry will consider the implications of drug misuse in prisons including 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.

This inquiry is no longer accepting evidence

The deadline for submissions was 11:59pm on 31 January 2025.

Upcoming events

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No upcoming events scheduled

Past events

Tuesday 8 July 2025
1:00pm Private
1:30pm Public
Oral evidence session 8 July 2025
Tackling drugs in prisons; Rehabilitation and resettlement: ending the cycle of reoffending - Oral evidence
1:30pm
  • The Lord Timpson OBE DL (Minister for Prisons, Probation and Reducing Reoffending at Ministry of Justice)
  • Matt Grey (Executive Director for Rehabilitation at HM Prison and Probation Service)
  • Richard Vince CBE (Executive Director for Security at HM Prison and Probation Service)
The Thatcher Room, Portcullis House
Tuesday 25 March 2025
2:00pm Private
Private meeting 25 March 2025
Room 13, Palace of Westminster
Tuesday 25 February 2025
2:00pm Private
2:30pm Public
Tackling drugs in prisons - Oral evidence 25 February 2025
2:30pm
  • Dame Carol Black
  • Elisabeth Davies (National Chair at Independent Monitoring Boards (IMB))
  • Charlie Taylor (Chief Inspector at HM Inspectorate of Prisons)
3:30pm
  • Babafemi Dada (Governor at HMP Long Lartin)
  • Rob Luxford (Governor at HMP Liverpool)
  • Natalie McKee (Governor at HMP Hindley)
Room 6, Palace of Westminster

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