UK: Prison drugs policies
01 May 1996
The apparent growth in the use of proscribed drugs in society has led to various attempts at multi-agency intervention cited in the Government's policy strategy "Tackling Drugs Together" (HMSO, 1995). The emphasis which this gives to the relationship between drug use and crime has led to a specific focus on the role of the Criminal Justice System and, in particular, the Prison Service.
Since the mid 1980s there has been a growing recognition that an increasing number of people in Britain are imprisoned for drug related offences and/or are themselves drug users. This issue has been particularly prevalent in relation to the female prison population. Recent evidence indicates that a large proportion of prisoners continue, and indeed some begin, their drug use while in prison. The Prisoners Resource Service (PRS) estimated that in 1995 around 60% of prisoners were using drugs in prison figures produced by the Probation Service suggest that two out of three prisoners are using drugs of some kind, with 20% using "hard" drugs such as heroin (Observer, 19.3.95). In one women's prison, HM Inspectorate of Prisons stated that approximately 80% of prisoners were using "hard" drugs, mainly heroin (HM Chief Inspector of Prisons, 1994). This estimate was backed by a study carried out by the prison's own Board of Visitors and by prison staff. The large numbers of drug users held in custody has implications for the "care" and "treatment" the Prison Service is required to make available.
Measures aimed at providing education and rehabilitative programmes have been offset by a determination to safeguard security and discipline within penal establishments developing measures to eradicate illicit drug use.
In 1995, the Prison Service introduced an updated policy document "Drug Misuse" in Prison (HM Prison Service, 1995) designed to reduce both the supply and demand of illicit drugs within prisons. The new strategy emphasised the Prison Service objective of eradicating drug use from its establishments. It focused on three areas: reducing supply; reducing demand; and reducing the "potential for damage to the health of prisoners, staff and the wider community, arising from the misuse of drugs".
Increased measures of security and surveillance were introduced to tackle the supply of drugs (improved perimeter security, searching of prisoners, their property and increasingly their visitors, supervision of visits; intelligence gathering; use of informants, increased control of prescribed medication). The demand for drugs to be tackled by the provision of educational and rehabilitative resources including advice, counselling and support groups provided by multi-disciplinary teams consisting of prison personnel and workers from outside agencies. The proposed measures were to take effect throughout the prison system but "known drug users" were to be targeted.
In practice many of the initiatives aimed at maintaining discipline and control merely enhanced practices which were already given prominence in penal establishments while many prisons had little or no provisions in place for providing support or counselling. HM Chief Inspectorate Report on HMP Styal (HM Chief Inspector of Prisons, 1995) noted that despite the high number of drug users in this institution there was no coherent detoxification programme on offer and an evident lack of rehabilitative opportunities. This reflects the situation in many prisons.
The medical provisions in prisons is exemplified by the prescribing practices (or lack of them) made available to prisoners who have been using drugs. Various reports have recently highlighted the importance of providing medical care and detoxification programmes for drug using prisoners (ACMD, 1989 HM Prison Service, 1991; Ministerial Drugs Task Force, 1994, Scottish Affairs Committee, 1994). Despite these recommendations, the ultimate responsibility for introducing such measures is left to the individual Medica