Drugs too easily available at prison, watchdog warns
HM Inspectorate of PrisonsDrugs are "too easily available" at a prison where almost 40% of drug tests came back positive, a watchdog has warned.
HMP Inspectorate of Prisons described the figure as "shocking" in its report into HMP Deerbolt in Barnard Castle.
It said at the time of its investigation in December, some staff had been suspended for bringing banned items into the prison.
The Ministry of Justice (MoJ) said it acknowledged the challenges at the prison and was working to tackle its problems.
HMP Deerbolt has about 400 male prisoners, approximately a quarter of whom are under 25.
Inspectors found about 38% of mandatory drugs tests came back positive last year and a survey of the prison population suggested about 23% had developed a drug problem while incarcerated at the site.
The report said there were 75 medical emergencies caused by substance misuse between 1 April and 30 November and about half of the prison population was receiving support for substance misuse.
Inspectors warned that prison leaders had no "co-ordinated or effective" strategy to tackle the issue and said there needed to be a "resourced, robust and uncompromising push to confront the drug culture in the prison".
'Staff shortages'
A MoJ spokesperson said: "This government inherited a prison system in crisis - overcrowded, with drugs and violence rife - and we fully acknowledge the challenges at HMP Deerbolt.
"We have already taken action by recruiting more staff and introducing a second substance free living unit to help turn prisoners away from drugs."
Inspectors also found that the number of instances where force had been used against prisoners had increased 7.5% from the previous year to 698.
However, the report noted discrepancies in the data and said it "could not be confident that leaders were aware of all incidents of use of force".
It further found staff had used a spray to incapacitate prisoners 50 times over the last year - with its use on ethnic minorities overrepresented - and prison leaders had "not investigated this sufficiently".
Inspectors also noted a "lack of experience" among employees and issues with staff shortages, which had led to fewer drug tests and missed health appointments due to a lack of staff escorts.