Wandsworth Prison drug problem is at its worst
Independent Monitoring Board report reveals lags taking around £1 million-worth every year
17 September 2009
THE drug problem in Wandsworth Prison is at its worst yet, with inmates taking around £1 million's worth every year, a report has said.
Illegal mobile phone use at Britain's largest prison was also rife, the Independent Monitoring Board found.
Its report blamed corrupt prison staff, volunteers and contractors for smuggling in contraband.
Official statistics hid the reality of the drugs problem, the board said, with prisoners switching from cannabis to harder drugs which leave no trace after just 24 hours.
Searches should be carried out on everyone entering the prison to stop drugs getting in, and technology used to jam mobile phone signals, the board said.
And it expressed "grave concerns" about the number of inmates given methadone.
Around one in 10 of the 1,600 prisoners at the south London jail are given it or other heroin substitutes.
The report said: "The lack of a positive response from Government has resulted in an increasing use of mobile phones and an even more rapidly increasing market for drugs in prisons."
A Prison Service spokesman said: "We take problem of illicit drugs in prisons very seriously, and work to do everything possible to disrupt their supply and demand.
"We have a comprehensive range of security measures including the use of search dogs and close working with local police.
"The Prison Service is trialling signal blockers and looking to roll them out more widely. It is not a quick, simple or cheap option.
"It is technically challenging, given the nature of the different fabric and layouts of prisons and the need to block signals within prisons without adversely affecting signals outside the prison."
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