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
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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
2 results
Clear
160 Conclusion Acknowledged
6th Report - Tackling the drugs cr…
Widespread illicit substance availability normalises drug use and addiction within prisons.
The widespread and increasing availability of illicit substances has fostered a culture of acceptance that normalises drug use in prisons. This makes the presence of drugs inescapable for many prisoners. The situation is made worse by two key factors: the … Read more
Government Response
The government recognises the value of drug testing and commits to reviewing its drug testing regime to better understand drug use and support treatment and recovery pathways. It will also continue to explore the feasibility of emerging detection technologies for long-term use.
Ministry of Justice
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163 Conclusion Acknowledged
6th Report - Tackling the drugs cr…
Speed up plans to introduce wastewater-based drug surveillance across the entire prison estate.
The MoJ and HMPPS must speed up plans to introduce wastewater- based surveillance to identify new substances across the entire prison estate. If successful, this wastewater surveillance should be deployed in all prisons to monitor drug usage trends within two … Read more
Government Response
The government states it continuously reviews drug testing panels and prioritises drug detection as a key R&D priority, focusing on identifying future solutions for frontline staff. However, it does not commit to speeding up plans for wastewater-based surveillance or deploying it across all prisons within two years as recommended.
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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