Question
The outgoing chief inspector of prisons said last week that organised gangs are using drones to smuggle up to 10 kg of drugs into prison at a time, and claimed that up to a quarter of prisoners admit to having developed a habit in prison because drugs are so rife. The Independent newspaper reported Charlie Taylor saying that many prisoners are leaving custody “doomed to come back” because they are not being rehabilitated. He claimed that the “public are not being protected properly” when prisoners are freed because their risk has not been reduced. In the year to March ’26, drugs were discovered in UK prisons 26,630 times—up by nearly a third from five years ago. Does the Minister agree that those in prison, and particularly those in for drug-related offences, stand little chance of turning their lives around and reducing their chances of reoffending on release if they are still routinely exposed to the evils of drugs?
Answer
The hon. Gentleman makes an important point and a very clear case for why we have to deal with the prison system we inherited. The system has very deep and complex pressures, some of which he has highlighted: drones, security on the estate, drugs, and ensuring that we can invest in rehabilitation. All those things are made more challenging while our prison system is running at capacity, due to the system we inherited. However, they also make us more determined to achieve the outcomes for which he quite rightly advocates.40% point-scoring 20% vibes
Verdict: AMBER (30/100)
The reply acknowledges that drugs in prisons matter and lists them as one pressure alongside investment in rehabilitation. It does not say whether the Minister agrees that drug use undermines rehabilitation and reduces reoffending, and it offers no concrete measures on drug supply, such as drone or security action. Most of the reply is hedged, so a member of the public would likely need to ask again for a direct answer on both points.
How we got there
| Question item | Coverage | Specificity | Rationale |
|---|---|---|---|
| Whether the Minister agrees that prisoners, particularly those in for drug-related offences, have little chance of rehabilitation and reducing reoffending on release while they remain routinely exposed to drugs in prison. | Partially Addressed | Hedged | The reply accepts the point as important and names drugs in prisons as a pressure alongside rehabilitation investment, but it never states whether the Minister agrees that drug exposure undermines rehabilitation and reoffending. It also gives no concrete measure on drug supply, such as drone or security action, beyond listing these as pressures, and it attributes the problem to the inherited system and capacity. |