McArthur warns of government’s confusion over drugs in prisons

Speaking ahead of a Scottish Parliament debate on drugs misuse in prisons, Scottish Liberal Democrat justice spokesperson Liam McArthur MSP has today warned that the government is in a state of confusion as he revealed that the Scottish Prison Service has recorded 1,568 instances of drug possession in the last five years.

One survey from the Scottish centre for crime and justice research uncovered that 40% of those surveyed report using illegal drugs during incarceration.

In addition, in 2021/22, about 73% of prisoners arriving at prison tested positive for illegal drugs.

However in response to parliamentary questions from Mr McArthur, neither minster Maree Todd nor Teresa Medhurst, Chief Executive of the Scottish Prison Service (SPS), were able to say how many prisoners have entered custody with a drug problem, developed a drug problem while in custody, or are currently receiving treatment.

Mr McArthur said:

“When I press the Scottish Government over the issue of drugs in prisons, they seem to be in a state of confusion.

“There appears to be a disconnect between the Government, prison service and health service, with no-one able to say how many prisoners are entering with drugs problems, how many are developing them inside and how many are receiving treatment. Without this basic information, prison authorities are fighting a losing battle in trying to tackle the problem.

“I am concerned that inconsistent care and support is leaving more prisoners at the mercy of drug misuse. It is perhaps little surprise then that we see high numbers of deaths across the prison estate in recent years.

“These problems are not easy to resolve, but will require Scottish Government and SPS to work more effectively together to understand what is happening in prisons that remain dangerously overcrowded.

“Taking steps to reduce the overall size of the prison population will also help improve the outcomes of work to rehabilitate prisoners. This will make prisons safer, but also ensure our communities are safer as well”.