Overview
- The Justice Committee says drug use and trafficking have fostered a dangerous culture of acceptance, with 39% of prisoners reporting that obtaining drugs is easy.
- The report cites 136 drug-related deaths among 833 cases investigated by the Prisons and Probation Ombudsman between December 2022 and December 2024.
- MPs highlight highly potent new psychoactive substances, including nitazenes linked to UK fatalities and deaths at HMP Parc, as a volatile and escalating threat.
- Ministry of Justice data shows 1,712 drone sightings in the year to March 2025, up from 138 in 2021, prompting calls for electronic countermeasures and tougher staff vetting despite prior funding boosts.
- Recommendations include restoring mandatory drug testing to pre-pandemic levels, introducing wastewater surveillance, tightening prescription dispensing, and expanding education and work to reduce demand driven by long cell confinement.