The drug problem in jails is becoming more serious with the number of inmates developing an addiction behind bars more than doubling in five years, new research suggests.

The proportion of prisoners who said they had experienced a problem with illegal substances rose from around 6.4% to about 14.8%.

And almost 15% of inmates said they were drawn to drugs after being sent to jail, said the report by the Reform think-tank.

It echoed warnings raised by prison inspectors of poor living conditions, overcrowding and problems with keeping experienced staff in their jobs.

The latest review said investment in equipment and staffing was needed for long-term reforms and warned short prison terms were adding to problems.


Image: The report echoed warnings raised by prison inspectors of poor living conditions and overcrowding. File pic

Report author Aidan Shilson-Thomas said the findings suggested the drug problem in jails had become "more serious" and prison needed to be an "opportunity for inmates to change their behaviour".

He added: "Stabilising the system means stemming the flow of drugs, reducing overcrowding, fixing the crumbling estate and improving officer retention.

"Its long-term sustainability requires a serious conversation about how many people we lock up and for how long.

"Failing to act will mean poorer social outcomes, more re-offending and ultimately huge costs to the taxpayer."

Researchers looked at a sample size of 7,097 inmates who responded to the survey in 2013/14 and 5,845 in 2018/19 to calculate the findings.

The numbers were drawn from several samples of responses and the percentages are estimates, not exact figures.

Campbell Robb, from the National Association for the Care and Resettlement of Offenders, said: "These latest figures show that not only are people with drug problems being sent to prison rather than being properly treated but that people actually develop drug addictions whilst in custody.

"This is a stark reminder that in far too many cases sending someone to prison is doing far more harm than good, and that our broken justice system must be fixed."

A Ministry of Justice spokesman said: "Illicit substances pose huge challenges in our prisons which is why we are investing £100m in airport-style security - including X-ray body scanners - to stop them getting in.

"This is part of our £2.75bn investment to make jails safer for offenders and staff, while working closely with healthcare providers to ensure prisoners have the support they need to live drug-free upon release."