Hand-held mobile phone blockers are to join fight to prevent drug smuggling into prisons, Justice Secretary Jack Straw announced.
In a frank report, David Blakey suggested that ‘that there is generally less technology in prisons than one would expect to see and that what there is, is uncoordinated and somewhat ad-hoc’ Yet technology does assist in combating drug trafficking in prisons: “I have seen biometric devices to monitor visitors, CCTV in Visitors Halls and around the perimeter, aids to searching and phone locators and blockers.”
He also pointed to shortcomings on use and sharing of intelligence: “There are no systems for tracking banned or bogus visitors who simply move onto the next prison, and intelligence gathered on the use of different types of drugs across the prison estate is patchy.”
As for the view that prison staff tolerate drugs because they make prisoners more content with their lot, Mr Blakey saw otherwise: “Most types of drugs in prisons cause trouble. They affect behaviour, usually for the worst and they increase bullying and assaults as drugs need to be paid for.”
Mr Blakey did end with words of praise for staff: “I met some well trained and effective teams and individuals who are trying very hard to improve the [drugs] disruption process. They are doing a difficult and sensitive job for which they generally do not get the recognition they deserve.”
As for how many drugs are in prisons, the review spoke of a ‘ready availability’. On drugs coming in via visits, while there is security – visitors are ‘airport’ style searched and sniffed by a drug dog; and prison officers watch tables by CCTV – there is sleight of hand, or even use of a crisp packet.
‘Over the wall’ is prison shorthand for the process whereby contacts on the outside throw, catapult or otherwise project goods, usually drugs or mobile phones, over or under, or even though prison walls and fences to be collected by prisoners. Organisers even may use Google mapping.
And: “Inevitably some clever and manipulative prisoners attempt to cultivate and compromise prison officers.” Only a minority of staff are corrupt and letting the rest down, but tackling it should not be a one-off: To tackle corruption effectively the radar needs to be always on and the defences permanently up.”
“Prisons are villages of often well over 1,000 people and every day they
need to admit goods and services and hundreds more people just to
function. Disrupting the entry of drugs in those circumstances is much
more complex than popular wisdom would suggest.” For instance Blakey describes the number of mobile phones circulating in prisons as ‘astonishing’. He reckons it’s more than 600 mobile phones and SIM cards seized and forwarded every month.
As for dogs, the review says: “There are about 750 dogs on the Prison Service books. About 250 are patrol dogs (Alsatian type) which are mostly at High Security Prisons. The remaining 500 dogs are divided half into Passive Search Dogs, to search people and deter drug smuggling, and Active Search Dogs which search premises and places (both Active and Passive Dogs are Labradors or Springer Spaniels).” Mr Blakey suggsted an internal review to see whether search dogs and their handlers are distributed effectively around the estate.
Proposed are Body Orifice Security Scanners (‘BOSS chairs’) to detect mobile phones being smuggled into prisons - currently confined to the high security estate - are to be introduced to all prisons from next year.<br><br>Mobile phone use is known to drive the movement of illicit drugs within prisons. The National Offender Management Service (NOMS) will be working with suppliers to get the best possible deal to ensure value for taxpayers’ money, according to the ministry. A further announcement on the details of this investment will be made when this programme is rolled out from March 2009.<br><br>The wider use of blockers and scanners are among the 10 recommendations made in David Blakey’s review ‘Disrupting the Supply of Illicit Drugs into Prisons’.<br><br>Mr Straw told Parliament that the Ministry of Justice is to meet all 10 recommendations, which range from monitoring the use of the Offender Management Act in prosecuting those attempting to smuggle contraband into prisons to establishing an internal review to determine whether search dogs and their handlers are distributed effectively around the prison estate.<br><br>Former HM Inspector of Constabulary, David Blakey CBE QPM was commissioned by the Justice Secretary to carry out a review of the effectiveness of the current methods employed to prevent the supply of drugs into prisons, as part of a commitment made in January’s Prison Policy Update.<br><br>Justice Secretary Jack Straw MP said: ‘I am grateful to David Blakey for his considered and well-targeted report all of whose recommendations we are committed to accept. Illegal drugs are a disruptive influence in society today. They play a significant role in the causes of crime and act as a barrier to the rehabilitation of offenders once in custody.<br><br>’The Prison Service takes this issue very seriously; keeping drugs out of prisons helps them to run more smoothly and allows prisoners to engage more effectively with rehabilitative programmes. But this is a tough challenge and the Prison Service is constantly seeking to strengthen its security measures which have resulted in a fall in positive Random Mandatory Drug test results of 63 per cent since 1997.'<br><br>A significant proportion of offenders coming into prison have a history of drug addiction, the ministry addds. An average of 55pc of prisoners are problem drug users, and some prisons report that up to 80pc of prisoners test positive for Class A drugs on arrival. Given such figures, it is inevitable that those prisoners with a drug habit will attempt to get hold of and use drugs whilst in prison.<br><br>Disruption of supply is one part of the National Offender Management Service’s drug strategy for prisons, which comprises three elements:<br><br>*reducing demand through targeted interventions for low, moderate and severe drug-misusers<br>*reducing supply, through security measures and drug testing programmes<br>*establishing effective through-care links to ensure continuity of treatment post-release in order to safeguard the gains made in custody.<br><br>In March, the Ministry of Justice and Department of Health jointly announced the formation of a national Prison Drug Treatment Review Group to oversee the development of prison drug treatment, to be chaired by Professor Lord Kamlesh Patel, OBE.<br><br>To download a copy of the 39-page review: <br>http://www.justice.gov.uk/publications/disrupting-drugs-prisons.htm
