The Chief Inspector of Prisons has called for the government to take far more seriously the widespread ingress of illegal drugs into prisons. In his Annual Report, published today, Charlie Taylor said the prison service, police and security services must work closely together to tackle the threat from organised criminals, which is destabilising jails and […]
Commenting on the findings of today’s (8 July) annual report by HM Inspectorate of Prisons, Pia Sinha, chief executive of the Prison Reform Trust, said: “This report paints a bleak but sadly familiar picture of a prison system in deep crisis. When over 30% of drug tests are coming back positive, when prisoners are locked in […]
An incarcerated drug dealer from Northwich used a smuggled phone to continue his criminal enterprise from his prison cell. Samuel Watts, of Thornley Green, Lostock Gralam, was jailed in September 2023 for cocaine and cannabis dealing offences, as well as possession of a weapon. The 34-year-old was serving a three-year sentence at HMP Kirkham near […]
MSPs are to investigate the role of organised crime and the impact of overcrowding in an inquiry into drugs and alcohol abuse in prisons. Audrey Nicoll, convener of Holyrood’s criminal justice committee, said the issues could not be ignored in the probe which follows concerns raised by a parliamentary people’s panel over the rise and […]
A road rage attacker died in prison from drug toxicity, the prison ombudsman has announced. Max Marchant died at HMP The Mount prison, on the outskirts of Bovingdon, from a spice-like synthetic cannabinoid toxicity, aged 26 on July 25 2022, but his inquest has just been held. The prison ombudsman did not find any evidence […]
Police and prison staff are working together after noticing “an increase in organised drug drops on prison grounds”. Lancashire Police said plain-clothed officers were on patrol outside HMP Kirkham, near Preston, on Tuesday evening, looking out for any suspicious activity. The force said that of the vehicles that had been stopped, one was linked to […]
Whoops! You need enhanced membership to access this page – login below or join now https://prisons.org.uk/register/enhanced
RAND Europe was commissioned by the Ministry of Justice to conduct a study exploring the experiences and perceptions of staff and prisoners of drug testing regimens and incentivised substance free living (ISFL) wings. The study took place in three prisons: one male prison in the North of England, one male prison in Wales and one […]
Two prison officers at a high-security prison in County Durham have been rushed to hospital after inhaling smuggled drugs “50 times stronger than heroin”. Illicit drug fentanyl was hidden inside a prisoner’s pen when it was accidentally inhaled by two prison officers at HMP Frankland, a new report has revealed. The two staff members were […]
Prison bosses are set to spend £22 million to fix broken windows at a scandal-hit jail to stop inmates flying in drugs using drones. An audit of HMP Wandsworth exposed shocking levels of decline at the south London prison, including violence among prisoners and towards staff as well as growing numbers of incidents of self-harm and suicide. Learn More about this story […]
A drug dealing gang used drones to smuggle around £1 million worth of contraband into prisons. Among the group’s targets was HMP Gartree in Leicestershire. The group was led by 47-year-old Lucy Adcock who organised 22 drops in a month across six UK prisons. HMP Gartree, in Market Harborough, was among the mum’s targets before she […]
Three men have been arrested after a plot to smuggle prohibited items into a Worcestershire prison was foiled by police. Officers found a drone and fishing hooks in a car parked near HMP Long Lartin just after 01:55 BST on Monday. On the other side of the road, a package containing a large stash of […]