‘Innovative’ drug-free prisons pilot underway

A pilot ‘drug recovery prison’ programme has been running at HMP Holme House since April 2017 and the Government now says it hopes to expand the trial to other prisons.

The initiative involves investment in tightened security and intense rehabilitation to ensure drug users are put on the path to recovery.

The project, funded by the Ministry of Justice (MoJ) and NHS England, involves new drug testing equipment such as scanners and sniffer dogs coupled with specialist healthcare teams working with prisoners.

The MoJ claims it is already showing good progress and will soon be copied by prisons across England and Wales.

Since the programme’s introduction, HMP Holme House has seen an increase in drug detections and the number of inmates in work.

Good practice and lessons from the pilot, which will run until 2020, will be shared among prisons across the estate.

Justice Secretary David Gauke said: “Drugs fuel a cycle of violence and self-harm and prevent offenders from starting the process of rehabilitation that can ultimately lead to employment and a life free from crime.

“To break that cycle we need an innovative approach, and that’s what this pilot offers – not only stopping drugs getting into prison but helping offenders break the habit for good.

“We do not underestimate the scale of the task, but our aim is to make prisons places of safety, security and decency where offenders have a genuine chance to turn their lives around.”