Photocopying prisoners' mail 'leads to cut in drug overdoses'

Photocopying mail sent to prisoners has more than halved the number of drug overdoses behind bars, according to the Scottish government.

The Scottish Prison Service introduced the measure in December following a rise in drug-related emergencies.

Officials say the most common way to smuggle psychoactive substances into jails is by spraying them onto pieces of paper posted to prisoners.

Emergency hospital admissions fell from 37 to 15 after copying was introduced.

From November to December, the number of drug-related incidents in prisons also fell from 305 to 131.

The criminal justice committee at the Scottish Parliament was told that in 2021, five deaths in Scottish prisons were linked to the psychoactive substance Etizolam.

Between August 2020 and July 2021, almost 9,000 items of mail sent into Scottish jails tested positive for an illegal drug.

Justice Secretary Keith Brown said prison governors had feared that Christmas mail would bring an increase in the supply.

The minister said photocopying general correspondence was "essential" to protect prisoners and staff, and had brought swift results in four weeks.

Mr Brown told the Holyrood committee that prisoners were "initially hostile" but were now supportive.

He said: "The medical fallout from these psychoactive substances in prisons affects prisoners very directly.

"In many cases they're very pleased to have this measure taken, not least because it leaves them less vulnerable to bullying to get them to provide drugs for others."

Families Outside, which supports prisoners and their relatives, has backed the move but an open letter expressing concern was sent to the committee by 35 academics.

They said the new powers had been fast-tracked without consultation and could violate prisoners' human rights.

The interim chief executive of the Scottish Prison Service, Teresa Medhurst, told the committee more time was needed to assess the impact of the measure.

MSPs heard that since photocopying was introduced, there had been an increase in attempts to smuggle drugs over perimeter walls.

Scottish Conservative MSP Russell Findlay called for the introduction of photocopying after a fact-finding visit to Edinburgh prison last year.

He said: "It's inevitable as soon as you close down one route than another one opens. That's the nature of the beast, but it doesn't mean it was wrong to take the action that was taken."

The committee was told that not all mail is copied. Confidential, legal and medical correspondence is exempt.

Different jails are also taking different approaches and prison governors will give consideration to drug-testing all cards and photographs so the originals could be given to prisoners.