'Insufficient progress' made on drugs at Prison

A report into a category C men's prison has found that drugs remain easily available, with almost a third of inmates recording positive readings during random drug tests.

HMP Erlestoke, in Wiltshire, was inspected over three days in April, following up on concerns raised about "safety", "respect" and "purposeful activity" during the previous inspection in 2024.

HM chief inspector of prisons said good progress was being made in one out of the nine areas of concern, with reasonable progress being made in five.

A Prison Service spokesperson said they are pleased improvements have been recognised, adding "more needs to be done".

Three areas were found to have demonstrated insufficient progress.

The report found that no improvement had been made in relation to prisoners' access to drugs, with the rate of positive random drug tests remaining at 32%.

It also found that there had been 426 emergency medical calls in the previous six months for prisoners suspected of being under the influence of a prohibited substance.

"Insufficient progress" was also made in improving the first night cells and preventing self-harm.

The report said that despite a reduction "there was still no action plan to address the high levels of self-harm and to prevent future self-inflicted deaths."

Support for prisoners who needed help with reading was also found to be lacking.

Improvements were found to have been made with "overall levels of violence now lower than in similar prisons" and work had been done to address antisocial behaviour and reduce the use of force.

The report found levels of violence had reduced by 25% since the 2024 inspection, including the number of serious assaults.

The number of incidents of use of force had also decreased during the same period.

It further noted that "positive steps had been taken to address negative perceptions of treatment among prisoners from ethnic minority backgrounds."

The Prison Service spokesperson said: "We are pleased inspectors have recognised improvements in tackling violence and antisocial behaviour at HMP Erlestoke.

"But we know more needs to be done, which is why we are working with police to keep drugs out of the prison and supporting prisoners with substance misuse addiction through our drug recovery wing."

Follow BBC Wiltshire on Facebook, X and Instagram. Send your story ideas to us on email or via WhatsApp on 0800 313 4630.