National Prison Drugs Strategy launched

A new prison specific drug strategy has been published by HM Prison and Probation Service. It mirrors the 2017 Drug Strategy in focusing on three central aims: reducing demand, restricting supply and building recovery.

It identifies five ways to deliver these aims: ensuring the right people are working in prisons; ensuring prison processes are fair and effective; ensuring prisons are safe and clean; ensuring prisoners have positive relationships and can engage in meaningful activity; and ensuring all partners involved contribute through effective joint working.

Karen Biggs, Chief Executive of Phoenix Futures, has blogged her take on the strategy. She singles out greater strategic leadership across the criminal justice system and a more streamlined commissioning process to better support the transition from custody to community treatment as two factors crucial to the success of the strategy’s implementation.

Russell Webster, substance use and criminal justice commentator, has blogged his thoughts in the first on a series of posts focused on the strategy. He explores the role mandatory drug testing could play in reducing demand in prison.