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.