Recommendation 176

The high prevalence of drugs in prisons, particularly NPS, poses an unacceptable and direct threat to the safety and well-being of prison staff. The current reality of staff becoming “desensitised” to daily suffering is a sign of a failed system and a dangerous culture of acceptance that must be broken. Staff are not only exposed to violence and abuse, but are directly at risk of serious medical harm from inhaling second-hand drugs. The fact that four staff members at a single prison were taken ill from a prisoner vaping with NPS underscores the wider danger presented by these substances. The MoJ and HMPPS have a duty of care to protect their employees, but the prevalence of drugs in prison is risking their ability to uphold it. (Conclusion, Paragraph 66)