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Tackling drugs in prisons

Status: Closed Opened: 17 Dec 2024 Closed: 22 Apr 2026 11 recommendations 30 conclusions 1 report

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 … Show more

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Reports

1 report
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 items
160 Conclusion 6th Report - Tackling the drugs crisis … Acknowledged

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 high number of people entering prison with an existing addiction, … Read more

Government response AI summary
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.
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Ministry of Justice
163 Conclusion 6th Report - Tackling the drugs crisis … Acknowledged

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 years of the pilot. (Recommendation, Paragraph 23) Read more

Government response AI summary
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 …
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Ministry of Justice

Oral evidence sessions

2 sessions
Date Witnesses
8 Jul 2025 Matt Grey · HM Prison and Probation Service, Richard Vince CBE · HM Prison and Probation Service, The Lord Timpson OBE DL · Ministry of Justice View ↗
25 Feb 2025 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 View ↗

Who gave evidence

9 witnesses
WitnessOrganisationSessions
Babafemi Dada · Governor HMP Long Lartin 1
Charlie Taylor · Chief Inspector of Prisons HM Inspectorate of Prisons 1
Dame Carol Black — 1
Elisabeth Davies · National Chair Independent Monitoring Boards (IMB) 1
Matt Grey · Executive Director for Rehabilitation HM Prison and Probation Service 1
Natalie McKee · Governor HMP Hindley 1
Richard Vince CBE · Executive Director for Security HM Prison and Probation Service 1
Rob Luxford · Governor HMP Liverpool 1
The Lord Timpson OBE DL · Minister for Prisons, Probation and Reducing Reof… Ministry of Justice 1

Correspondence

1 letter
DateDirectionTitle
22 Jul 2025 — Correspondence from Lord Timpson, Minister for Prisons, Probation and Reducing …

Meetings & visits

1 item
DateTypeDetail
25 Mar 2025 Formal meeting (private meeting) — · Room 13, Palace of Westminster