Tackling drugs in prisons

Justice Committee Closed Inquiry
Opened: 17 Dec 2024 Closed: 22 Apr 2026 Parliament page
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 … Read more
11 Recommendations
30 Conclusions
1 Report
2 Oral sessions
1 Letter
3 Events
Activity timeline 8 events
9 Jan
2026
Report published
31 Oct
2025
Report published
22 Jul
2025
Correspondence
8 Jul
2025
Oral evidence
8 Jul
2025
Formal meeting (oral evidence session) · The Thatcher Room, Portcullis House
25 Mar
2025
Formal meeting (private meeting) · Room 13, Palace of Westminster
25 Feb
2025
Oral evidence
25 Feb
2025
Formal meeting (oral evidence session) · Room 6, Palace of Westminster
Oral evidence sessions 2 sessions
8 Jul 2025
View on parliament.uk
Matt Grey · HM Prison and Probation Service Richard Vince CBE · HM Prison and Probation Service The Lord Timpson OBE DL · Ministry of Justice
25 Feb 2025
View on parliament.uk
Babafemi Dada · HMP Long Lartin Charlie Taylor · HM Inspectorate of Prisons Dame Carol Black Elisabeth Davies · Independent Monitoring Boards (IMB) Natalie McKee · HMP Hindley Rob Luxford · HMP Liverpool
Title HC No. Published Items Response
6th Report - Tackling the drugs crisis in our prisons HC 557 31 Oct 2025 41 Responded
Recommendations & Conclusions
6 results
Clear
165 Conclusion Accepted
6th Report - Tackling the drugs cr…
Significant shift towards undetected New Psychoactive Substances (NPS) in prisons.
We are deeply concerned by the significant shift towards the use of New Psychoactive Substances (NPS), most notably synthetic cannabinoids and synthetic opioids. Their popularity is due to their affordability, accessibility and their potency. In turning to these drugs, prisoners … Read more
Government Response
The government is undertaking various initiatives to improve purposeful activity in prisons, including exploring metrics, developing guidance, co-designing models, and enhancing recovery-related activities. They commit to providing an update on progress by April 2026.
Ministry of Justice
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166 Conclusion Accepted
6th Report - Tackling the drugs cr…
Take urgent steps to address the evolving threat of New Psychoactive Substances in prisons.
Given the extreme potency and low lethal dose of substances such as Nitazenes and Fentanyl, the circulation of these drugs in prisons leads to a high risk of drug-related deaths and overdoses, as tragically seen at HMP Parc. The MoJ … Read more
Government Response
The government is enhancing staff capability on drugs and recovery by introducing a new capabilities framework, broadening the 'Enable Programme' training, redesigning Foundation Training for new officers, and strengthening specialist roles. They will also undertake a training needs analysis in early 2026.
Ministry of Justice
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172 Conclusion Accepted
6th Report - Tackling the drugs cr…
Drug-related debt and exploitation are fundamental drivers of prison violence and systemic instability.
Drug-related debt and exploitation are fundamental drivers of violence, coercion and systemic instability within the prison estate. The prevalence of drugs creates a shadow economy where debts, which can accrue up to £10,000, are collected through intimidation and violence. The … Read more
Government Response
The government has developed a 'Send legal mail to prisons' digital service to secure legal correspondence and is exploring new technologies to screen legal mail for illicit substances. They are committed to strengthening mail security, though mandating the digital service requires legislative change.
Ministry of Justice
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189 Conclusion Accepted
6th Report - Tackling the drugs cr…
Current detection technologies outpaced by sophisticated drones and illicit mobile phone use
While the recent £40 million investment in prison security is a welcome step, current drug detection technologies are being outpaced by the sophistication of drones and the criminal networks behind them. The ability of criminals to leverage illicitly acquired mobile … Read more
Government Response
The government acknowledges the committee's focus on security challenges, highlighting significant ongoing investments of over £40 million in physical security, including anti-drone measures and X-ray body scanners across prisons. They also note new legislation introduced 400m drone 'no-fly zones' and continued collaboration with law enforcement to tackle contraband.
Ministry of Justice
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197 Conclusion Accepted
6th Report - Tackling the drugs cr…
Advanced drug detection technology is an essential prerequisite for preventing drug ingress
A major obstacle to tackling drug supply is the disparity in security equipment provision between prisons. The prisons that utilise drug detection technology demonstrate its profound and immediate impact on security. This confirms that investments in advanced detection machinery are … Read more
Government Response
The government acknowledges the committee's focus, highlighting ongoing investments of over £40 million in physical security across 34 prisons, including anti-drone measures. They note X-ray body scanners are now in all closed adult male prisons and new legislation has introduced drone 'no-fly zones', demonstrating current efforts to address security and detection.
Ministry of Justice
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198 Recommendation Accepted
6th Report - Tackling the drugs cr…
Ensure uniform security standards throughout the prison estate to mitigate all potential ingress risks.
Security measures must acknowledge the principle of displacement; as one route is closed, efforts must then be made to proactively mitigate risks across the full range of other potential ingress methods by ensuring uniform security standards throughout the prison estate. … Read more
Government Response
The government appreciates the committee’s focus on security, detailing ongoing investments of over £40 million in physical security, widespread deployment of X-ray body scanners, and new legislation creating drone 'no-fly zones'. They continue to work closely with law enforcement to tackle contraband.
Ministry of Justice
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Government Response AI assessment · 41 of 11 classified
Accepted 6
Accepted in Part 8
Acknowledged 2
Deferred 24
Rejected 1
Total 11 recs + 30 conclusions
Correspondence 1 letter
22 Jul 2025 Correspondence from Lord Timpson, Minister for Prisons, Probation and Reducing Reoffending, dated 22 July 2025 relating to the oral evidence session held on 8 July 2025
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