One in 10 prisoners are high on dangerous designer drugs as deadly new epidemic sweeps jail
ONE in 10 prisoners are high on highly dangerous designer drugs as a new epidemic sweeps jails, a Ministry of Justice investigation has found.
Justice Secretary Liz Truss will enforce mandatory tests for the powerful new narcotics to try to curb their spiralling abuse.
Powerful former legal highs such as Spice and Black Mamba – which spark severe psychosis – have been blamed for a wave of violence across the nation’s jails.
Lags high on them become very volatile and are hard for prison staff to control.
Attacks on prison officers have risen by 40% in the last 12 months alone.
The designer drugs are far harder to detect than heroin and cocaine, and have flooded prisons.
Ms Truss will also today enforce new penalties for the psychoactive drugs of six weeks of additional time on their sentence if they test positive for using them, and up to two tears for possessing them.
Ms Truss said last night: “No one should be under any illusion how dangerous these drugs are.
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“They are wreaking havoc in our jails and ruining lives, having serious side effects to people’s mental health and are forcing prisoners into debt to gangs.
“I am determined to do all I can to make our prisons places of safety and reform.”
The one in 10 figure was discovered after mandatory testing for designer drugs was trialled in 34 prisons.
In contrast, only one in 13 of all prisoners are found to be using more traditional drugs which don’t have the same volatile effect on them.
An MoJ source added: “The huge rise in psychoactive drugs has put us on the back foot.
“Mandatory testing and new penalties will put us back on the front foot.”
Separate official figures released yesterday also revealed an alarming rise in the number of killings in prison.
There were six in jails in the last year - the largest number since 2000.
Prisons and Probation Ombudsman Nigel Newcomen branded the level of violence as “unacceptable”.