Source · Select Committees · Justice Committee
6th Report - Tackling the drugs crisis in our prisons
Justice Committee
HC 557
Published 31 October 2025
Recommendations
171
Deferred
Ensure mandatory specialised training for all HMPPS staff in substance misuse and trauma-informed care.
Recommendation
The Government must urgently accelerate and broaden the scope of training under the ‘Enable Programme’ to ensure all HMPPS staff, particularly prison officers, receive mandatory, specialised training in substance misuse, trauma-informed care and drug dependency. This training should be a …
Read more
Government Response Summary
The government's response focuses on robust security measures to prevent drugs entering prisons, including drug trace detection equipment and X-ray body scanners, and continuously reviewing substances for testing. It does not address the recommendation to accelerate and broaden staff training on substance misuse and trauma-informed care via the Enable Programme.
Ministry of Justice
View Details →
175
Deferred
Mandate consistent and comprehensive training for all frontline staff on responding to medical emergencies.
Recommendation
HMPPS must mandate that all frontline staff receive consistent, up-to- date and comprehensive training in responding to medical emergencies. The current inconsistency in staff preparedness is unacceptable. All staff should be required to complete training on how to identify and …
Read more
Government Response Summary
The government's response discusses strengthening personnel vetting processes, including re-vetting staff every three to five years and improving information sharing, rather than addressing the recommendation for consistent medical emergency training for frontline staff.
Ministry of Justice
View Details →
179
Deferred
Require balancing prisoner punishments with mandatory drug treatment referrals and resourcing consistent adjudications
Recommendation
We recommend that punishments, such as the loss of privileges, are balanced with a mandatory referral to drug treatment services. This ensures that individuals are held accountable while also directed towards the support they need to break the cycle of …
Read more
Government Response Summary
The government's response outlines measures to prevent and detect illicit mobile phones and contraband, including new mobile phone capabilities and updated operational guidance, rather than addressing the balance of punishment with drug treatment referrals or resources for drug-related adjudications.
Ministry of Justice
View Details →
181
Deferred
Allocate dedicated capital funding for advanced prison detection technology and software updates
Recommendation
The Government must allocate dedicated capital funding for the accelerated acquisition and maintenance of advanced trace detection technology and full-body scanners in all prisons. This investment must include a mandated requirement for rapid, regular software library updates for all drug …
Read more
Government Response Summary
The government's response discusses managing prisoners linked to Organised Crime Groups and researching the impact of debt within prisons, rejecting the segregation of individuals based solely on OCG involvement, rather than committing to funding for advanced drug detection technology.
Ministry of Justice
View Details →
Conclusions (20)
161
Conclusion
Deferred
Mandatory Drug Testing rates do not reliably measure drug prevalence. The MoJ’s own admission that resource constraints limit its capacity for MDT testing and therefore its ability to produce robust, publishable data demonstrates the failure of the current approach. The suspension of regular testing makes it extremely difficult to accurately …
Government Response Summary
The government acknowledges prison wastewater testing could offer insight but is not yet in a position to commit to its wider rollout due to it being an emerging area of expertise. It is leading a structured research and development programme to understand insights from prison wastewater analysis.
162
Conclusion
Deferred
The MoJ and HMPPS must increase MDT rates to at least pre-pandemic levels. An immediate and mandatory intervention from regional or national HMPPS command, including the deployment of specialist teams to ensure testing is reinstated immediately, should be triggered. (Recommendation, Paragraph 22)
Government Response Summary
The government discusses existing policies for suspended punishments and rehabilitative activities following a positive test, and states it will promote further use of these options. However, it does not address the recommendation to increase Mandatory Drug Testing rates to pre-pandemic levels or mandate interventions.
164
Conclusion
Deferred
The MoJ and HMPPS must revise the drug testing policy to ensure that positive test results consistently trigger a dual response: swift and certain disciplinary action (with a rehabilitative element) and an immediate, 60 mandatory referral for a clinical needs assessment and engagement with tailored substance misuse treatment and psychosocial …
Government Response Summary
The government's response focuses on measures to prevent the diversion and misuse of prescription medication within prisons, including improved guidance on supervising medicine queues from 2026. It does not directly address the recommendation for a dual disciplinary and mandatory clinical referral response to positive drug test results.
167
Conclusion
Deferred
The MoJ and HMPPS must consistently update prison drug testing methods to enable the detection of the constantly changing chemical makeup of these NPS, including synthetic cannabinoids and synthetic opioids. Robust data collection should be expanded to include drug purity/potency where feasible. (Recommendation, Paragraph 34)
Government Response Summary
The government's response does not address the recommendation to update drug testing methods or expand data collection on NPS purity/potency. Instead, it rejects mandating universal take-home naloxone kits for prisoners, while detailing existing naloxone provisions and training for prison staff.
168
Conclusion
Deferred
HMPPS should conduct an urgent review of all prescription medication dispensing procedures within prisons to identify and close loopholes exploited for diversion and introduce enhanced supervision of medication queries. New secure systems for distributing and administering medication must be implemented immediately to prevent diversion and protect vulnerable prisoners. (Recommendation, Paragraph …
Government Response Summary
The government's response focuses on staff training for emergency medical responses, including First Aid and Naloxone use, and general drug awareness resources. It does not address the recommendation to review medication dispensing procedures, close loopholes, or implement new secure distribution systems to prevent diversion.
169
Conclusion
Deferred
The high prison population and overcrowding lead to a lack of purposeful activity and poor mental health support which exacerbate the existing drivers of drug demand. Efforts to reduce demand are therefore made more challenging and complex. This undermines any chance that prisoners might have of rehabilitation as it makes …
Government Response Summary
The government's response focuses on safeguarding staff from drug exposure, outlining existing risk assessments, reporting procedures, and support systems for affected staff. It does not address the committee's conclusion regarding how high prison populations and overcrowding exacerbate drug demand by limiting purposeful activity and mental health support for prisoners.
170
Conclusion
Deferred
The MoJ must expand access to purposeful activities, including education, vocational training, accredited work programmes and constructive recreational opportunities to prevent prisoners turning to drugs as a result 61 of boredom. We ask that the MoJ provides the Committee with an update on its progress to increasing purposeful activity within …
Government Response Summary
The government primarily discusses the existing adjudications policy and plans to strengthen sanctions under the Earned Progression Model, including doubling the maximum additional days awarded for drug-related incidents. It does not detail specific plans to expand access to purposeful activities for prisoners.
173
Conclusion
Deferred
Every drug-related medical emergency in prison, especially when fatal, is a needless tragedy. The significant number of ’code blues’ in some prisons adds to the significant strain already being experienced by staff. This leads to regime restrictions and increased time spent in cells. This, in turn, reduces access to purposeful …
Government Response Summary
The government's response focuses on investments in robust security infrastructure for 2025/26, including CCTV upgrades, perimeter systems, and new Facilities Management contracts. They are also considering enhancing CCTV with AI and analytics, but this does not address the committee's conclusion about medical emergencies impacting purposeful activity and drug demand.
174
Conclusion
Deferred
The MoJ and NHS England, or its successor, must mandate the immediate, universal rollout of take-home naloxone kits for all individuals leaving custody. This must be coupled with comprehensive, compulsory training for all prisoners and staff. This public health measure will help to mitigate the high risk of fatal opioid …
Government Response Summary
The government's response does not address the recommendation to mandate universal take-home naloxone kits or provide compulsory training. Instead, it details existing external and internal scrutiny mechanisms for prison security, including HMIP inspections and HMPPS Security Audits.
176
Conclusion
Deferred
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. …
Government Response Summary
The government's response focuses on rigorous recruitment processes for frontline staff, with planned enhancements to assessment methods by Q4 2025/26, rather than directly addressing the risks to staff from drug prevalence in prisons.
177
Conclusion
Deferred
HMPPS must regard staff exposures to drugs as serious workplace safety violations, not as a normal part of the job and must take immediate action to investigate and resolve the causes of such incidents. (Recommendation, Paragraph 67)
Government Response Summary
The government's response discusses tackling Serious and Organised Crime related to drone incursions and illicit mobile phones, declining to lead dedicated task forces for organised crime, rather than addressing staff exposure to drugs as a workplace safety violation.
178
Conclusion
Deferred
The significant backlog in the adjudication process, acknowledged by the Prisons Minister, undermines discipline in prisons. While current policy allows governors to balance punishment with support, we received evidence which shows this is not happening consistently. Some prisoners face no repercussions, while others are removed from rehabilitative programmes. The latter …
Government Response Summary
The government's response details its efforts to counter drone technology threats to prisons, including security upgrades commencing by the end of 2025, rather than addressing the backlog in the adjudication process or its impact on the Earned Progression model.
180
Conclusion
Deferred
Our observations confirmed that existing security measures, such as sniffer dogs, are often deployed in an inconsistent manner. For example, drug detection dogs being used for only a few instances in a day in some prisons, rather than as part of a comprehensive, high-volume strategy across 63 all entry points. …
Government Response Summary
The government's response focuses on the existing Financial Investigation Unit (FIU) and its role in disrupting the illicit economy within prisons, rejecting the need for a new system beyond current arrangements, rather than addressing the inconsistent deployment of physical security measures like sniffer dogs.
182
Conclusion
Deferred
HMPPS must rapidly develop and enforce a national, secure protocol for verifying legal correspondence (e.g., mandatory secure digital portals or standardised, verifiable bar-code systems) across all prisons to eliminate the exploitation of privileged mail. (Recommendation, Paragraph 80)
Government Response Summary
The government's response focuses on NHS England's role in delivering substance misuse services in prisons, including revising the National Substance Misuse Service Specification by Summer 2026, rather than addressing the recommendation for a secure protocol for verifying legal correspondence.
183
Conclusion
Deferred
Our evidence overwhelmingly points to a systemic failure to maintain physical measures which act as prisons’ first line of defence. The operational effectiveness of physical security is being defeated by avoidable delays in maintenance, inadequate resourcing and overly bureaucratic procurement processes, rather than sophisticated criminal innovation. The structural integrity of …
Government Response Summary
The government's response outlines efforts to improve the interoperability of health and MoJ IT systems, including a re-procurement of clinical systems in early 2026 and the development of a digital service for data sharing, rather than addressing the maintenance of physical security infrastructure.
184
Conclusion
Deferred
Governors must be empowered with delegated authority and a streamlined process to rapidly procure and repair essential security infrastructure, particularly perimeter netting and functional CCTV systems, within a mandatory timeframe; for example, 72 hours for critical repairs. (Recommendation, Paragraph 85)
Government Response Summary
The government's response addresses individual drug and alcohol treatment plans, stating that the revised service specification will make transferability a core function, but defers accepting the specific element of transferring plans via p-NOMIS. This response does not address empowering governors for rapid security infrastructure repairs.
185
Conclusion
Deferred
An independent security audit team, or existing reporting body, must conduct proactive, unannounced inspections of physical security measures, such as netting, window security and CCTV functionality, at every prison annually, regardless of the prison’s category. A response and action plan setting out how any failures will be rectified must be …
Government Response Summary
The government response discussed local authority responsibilities for drug and alcohol treatment and funding, completely unrelated to the recommendation for independent prison security audits.
186
Conclusion
Deferred
HMPPS must immediately commit to aligning its personnel vetting requirements with those of other tier-one security and law enforcement agencies, such as the police. While the nature of the work differs, the threat profile is comparable. This alignment must establish the lifelong vetting model as the minimum operational standard for …
Government Response Summary
The government response detailed increased NHS England funding for prison substance misuse services and new priority areas for treatment, completely unrelated to the recommendation for aligning HMPPS personnel vetting requirements.
187
Conclusion
Deferred
HMPPS must amend its recruitment process to ensure that all frontline staff, including prison officers, undergo a mandatory face-to-face interview process led by local governors. This critical step addresses the identified deficiency in governors not having direct involvement in the recruitment process. This lack of involvement limits the scrutiny necessary …
Government Response Summary
The government response outlined plans for research into psychosocial and pharmacological treatments for psychoactive substances and synthetic opioids, completely unrelated to the recommendation for mandatory face-to-face interviews in HMPPS recruitment.
188
Conclusion
Deferred
We are alarmed by the rapid increase in drone incidents over the last three years, as confirmed by HMPPS’s own data. The current reliance on staff sightings to detect drones, as noted in the HMPPS Annual Digest, is insufficient and likely underestimates the true scale of the problem. The capability …
Government Response Summary
The government response detailed the funding and rollout of Incentivised Substance-Free Living (ISFL) units and efforts to reduce drug demand, completely unrelated to the committee's concerns about increasing drone incidents in prisons.