Asked by: Janet Daby (Labour - Lewisham East)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many prison officers have been dismissed for (a) supplying and (b) transporting drugs in the youth secure estate in each of the last 10 years.
Answered by Edward Argar - Shadow Secretary of State for Justice
The vast majority of prison staff are hardworking and dedicated. A minority of staff engage in corrupt activity which is often as a result of conditioning and manipulation by prisoners.
HM Prison & Probation Service has a zero-tolerance policy to drugs conveyed into prisons and take appropriate action to a small number of prison staff who break the rules. Our £100m Security Investment Programme, aimed at reducing crime in prisons, including reducing the conveyance of illicit items such as drugs and mobile phones, is ongoing. This includes increased resource to pursue corruption, as well as established a new ‘Prevent’ function, aimed at building staff resilience against corruption.
Below is a table showing the breakdown of staff dismissed from 2019 to Dec 2023 within the Youth Custody Service (YCS) for drug related offences.
Table 1
Year | Conveyance of drugs |
TOTAL | 1 |
2019 | 0 |
2020 | 0 |
2021 | 1 |
2022 | 0 |
2023 | 0 |
Source: Linkspace Case Management System.
Notes:
Linkspace is the Counter Corruption Unit’s (CCU) Case Management System used to record and track cases linked to corruption.
Data provided by the CCU have the following Caveats applied below;
1) The new Counter Corruption Unit came into being in April 2019, with a new structure and a change to ways of working. During the initial transition period, and prior to the introduction of the new Case Management System, it is possible that not all arrests were being captured.
2) Prior to April 2019, corruption in HMPPS was managed by the Corruption Prevention Unit (CPU). The CPU was a largely centralised unit focused on sanitising and disseminating all corruption related intelligence to the Police, with an individual Regional Corruption Prevention Manager (RCPM) in each geographical region offering advice and support to prisons in managing corruption, Hence data prior to April 2019 is not available.
3) Data includes Non-Directly Employed Staff (public or private) as they provide a service on behalf of HMPPS.
4) ‘Supplying and transporting’ of drugs in a prison falls under the definition of ‘conveyance of drugs’ and recorded on the CCU’s Case Management System to cases linked to drugs related offences.
Mentions:
1: Paul Howell (Con - Sedgefield) Why am I here talking about social media in prisons? - Speech Link
2: Edward Argar (Con - Charnwood) buildings in detail as well as the movement of staff and prisoners, thereby helping prisoners to smuggle in drugs - Speech Link
Asked by: Ruth Cadbury (Labour - Brentford and Isleworth)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many prison officers were charged under the (a) Misuse of Drugs Act 1971 and (b) Prisons Act 1952 for smuggling drugs into prison in each year since 2018.
Answered by Edward Argar - Shadow Secretary of State for Justice
The vast majority of prison staff are hardworking and dedicated. A minority of staff engage in corrupt activity which is often as a result of conditioning and manipulation by prisoners.
HM Prison & Probation Service (HMPPS) has a zero-tolerance policy on corruption and takes appropriate action to the small number of staff and prisoners who break the rules. Our £100 million Security Investment Programme, aimed at reducing crime in prisons including reducing the number of staff being manipulated and conditioned by prisoners, is ongoing. This includes increased resource to pursue corruption, as well as established a new ‘Prevent’ function, aimed at building staff resilience against corruption.
a) The Misuse of Drugs Act 1971 is not a charge associated to offences pursed by the Counter Corruption Unit, which tackles the corruption linked to HMPPS staff and prisoners.
b) The Counter Corruption Unit dataset is specific to charges within the act, notably conveyance. To provide the requested data it would be a disproportionate cost to check individual records to provide an answer to this question.
Mentions:
1: Edward Argar (Con - Charnwood) This statement concerns the decision by HM chief inspector of prisons to invoke an urgent notification - Speech Link
Asked by: Siobhain McDonagh (Labour - Mitcham and Morden)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many prison guards were formally investigated for conveyance of (a) drugs, (b) weapons, (c) tobacco and (d) other illicit material in each year since 2015.
Answered by Edward Argar - Shadow Secretary of State for Justice
It is not possible to break down the charge of trafficking into the specific categories of drugs, weapons, tobacco, or other illicit material in our departmental-wide data.
The vast majority of Prison Service staff are hardworking and honest. A minority of staff engage in corrupt activity which is often as a result of conditioning and manipulation by prisoners, and we are doing more than ever to catch the small number who break the rules. We drive a culture of the highest professional standards, and we are committed to addressing wrongdoing sensitively and fairly, preventing it escalating into corruption. Where corruption does take place, however, we provide a robust response.
This is on top of robust vetting procedures, including criminal record checks, while our £100 million Security Investment Programme aimed to improve security with a focus on technology, such as X-ray body scanners. This endeavours to improve our ability to detect and disrupt drugs from entering prisons, supported by enhancements to intelligence and counter corruption capabilities.
Asked by: McNeill, Pauline (Scottish Labour - Glasgow)
Question
To ask the Scottish Government what action (a) it and (b) the Scottish Prison Service is taking to reduce the impact of illicit drugs on the prison population.
Answered by McKelvie, Christina - Minister for Culture, Europe and International Development
The Scottish Government and the Scottish Prison Service (SPS) recognise the impact of illicit drugs in prisons and the importance of supporting prisoners on their recovery journey.
We are committed to ensuring that the prison population have access to healthcare that is, as a minimum, equal to that offered in the community. A recent example is the development of a prisoner Healthcare Target Operating Model to provide a framework for nationally consistent healthcare delivery including the future state of addictions services. The National Prison Care Network are visiting NHS Boards to support the implementation of this model.
There are already a range of innovative projects in prisons including recovery cafes, recovery walks, mutual aid groups and other positive diversionary activities. Partnership working is crucial and the SPS works with several third sector organisations to deliver consistent recovery pathways to help individuals reintegrate back into communities. The multi-disciplinary Recovery Network also provides the SPS with an opportunity to share and replicate best practice in the community.
Medication Assisted Treatment standards are a key component of our National Drugs Mission and the SPS have committed to embed these standards across the prison estate. It is working with NHS Partners to ensure healthcare choice aligns with community-based treatment services wherever possible. In addition, the Prison to Rehab Protocol supports individuals to access abstinence-based treatment on release and sets out the process for prison staff, service providers and individuals on accessing the pathway.
All this work directly links to the Scottish Government’s National Mission. However, enforcement is also important, and a variety of operational and technological responses are deployed to prevent substances entering the prison estate. These include body scanners and Rapiscan machines, which detect substances that may be concealed in items of mail and personal property.
Asked by: Neil O'Brien (Conservative - Harborough, Oadby and Wigston)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what steps he is taking to help prevent drones being used to bring drugs and other illicit goods into prisons.
Answered by Edward Argar - Shadow Secretary of State for Justice
We are working hard to deter, detect and disrupt the illegal use of drones to deliver contraband into prisons. We conduct vulnerability assessments across the estate to understand the risk and develop and implement plans to manage and mitigate the threat, including physical countermeasures.
The Air Traffic Management and Unmanned Aircraft Act 2021 established powers for prisons to authorise the use of counter-drone technology. This Act also enables the police to stop and search those suspected of committing drone-related crimes.
In January this year, we strengthened the legislative framework by introducing Restricted Fly Zones around prisons to disrupt illegal drone use. This strengthens our ability to intercept illicit items being smuggled via drones, and enables the police to fine or prosecute those seeking to undermine prison security.
Recent joint operations with the police and HMPPS have resulted in a number of drone related arrests and disruptions to the activity of serious and organised crime networks. Since June 2016 we have secured over 70 convictions, and those convicted have been sentenced to more than a total of 240 years in prison.
Asked by: McNeill, Pauline (Scottish Labour - Glasgow)
Question
To ask the Scottish Government what action (a) it and (b) the Scottish Prison Service is taking to protect prison staff from the effects of illicit drugs being used by prisoners.
Answered by Constance, Angela - Cabinet Secretary for Justice and Home Affairs
I have asked Teresa Medhurst, Chief Executive of the Scottish Prison Service (SPS), to respond. Her response is as follows:
The health and wellbeing of those who live and work in our prisons is a key priority for the Scottish Prison Service.
Investment in technologies such as Rapiscan machines, now available in every prison, and the recent purchase of 9 new Body Scanners, further enhance a comprehensive range of security measures already deployed by the SPS to detect illegal substances. We are also piloting Drone Detection technology to help detect and prevent the introduction of illicit articles and substances through this channel.
By working closely with partners such as Police Scotland, SPS must and does remain vigilant to the continuously evolving nature of drug use to ensure use of technology and tactical measures remain current, adaptable, and capable of detecting and preventing drugs from entering our prisons.
SPS will continue to work with partners to prevent the introduction of contraband and seek convictions where appropriate.
SPS also continue to advise staff on safety and risk assessment processes in conducting their duties, to minimise the impact and risk of exposure to any unknown hazardous substance.
Asked by: Beth Winter (Labour - Cynon Valley)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what discussions his Department has had with Her Majesty's Inspectorate of Prisons on trends in the (a) weight of drugs, (b) number of mobile phones and (c) number of SIM cards found in HMP Parc in 2023.
Answered by Edward Argar - Shadow Secretary of State for Justice
HMPPS takes the findings of every HMI Prisons inspection seriously and responds to each with a detailed action plan that seeks to address all concerns raised within the inspection report. For privately run prisons, HMPPS works closely with the Prison operator to ensure that the expected standards are met, through the local controller team and contractual escalation route, if required. HMPPS officials meet with HMIP regularly to discuss the general landscape across the prison estate and will continue to do so. HMP and YOI Parc assess all prisoners who transfer into the prison including reviewing all previous information held on the prisoners to inform intelligence.
HMPPS continues to work extensively with G4S and is closely overseeing the prison to improve safety and reduce harm. All establishments are required to have a safety strategy in place, which includes actions to address violence. HMPPS remains committed to providing a safe, decent and secure environment for all committed to our care.
As HMP and YOI Parc is a privately operated prison, HMPPS do not hold data relating to the G4S workforce, and recruitment of healthcare staff is the responsibility of the Local Health Board, therefore, HMPPS are not the data holder for healthcare staffing information.
The information requested on finds in prisons is published at HMPPS annual digest: HMPPS Annual Digest, April 2022 to March 2023 - GOV.UK, specifically in tables 8.2b, 8.3 and 8.4 of this link: https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/64c143b41e10bf000e17cf9e/8.__Finds.ods.
Data on assaults are found in tables 8a-8f: https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/662a24fb690acb1c0ba7e57c/Safety-in-custody-summary-q4-2023_final_table.xlsx.
Written Evidence Jan. 17 2024
Inquiry: Prisons in WalesFound: PIW0010 - Prisons in Wales Independent monitoring boards Written Evidence