'Thriving' drugs market at HMP Durham - inspectors

The facility, close to the city centre, is a reception and resettlement prison

Prisoners at HMP Durham are spending too much time locked in their cells and there is a "thriving" drugs market, inspectors have found.

The prison was overcrowded and many cells and communal spaces were dilapidated and in need of attention.

Inspectors also noted that the arrangements for prisoners’ reception into the facility and early days there - a source of criticism in a previous report - had got even worse.

A Ministry of Justice (MoJ) spokesperson said the prison had already taken swift action to address many of the concerns.

The report, following an unannounced visit in June, found that stability within the prison was undermined by easy access to drugs and other illicit items, leading to a "significant increase" in the rate of violence.

Despite having a full complement of officers and a reduction in sickness levels, most prisoners were spending 22 or more hours a day in their cells.

This was barely less restricted than at the last visit, which was carried out soon after the pandemic.

It also meant inmates were forced to choose between having a shower, collecting medication, using the kiosk or getting fresh air.

Airport-style scanner

An earlier report in 2022 was particularly critical of the arrangements for prisoners' early days and the latest one found that "disappointingly", the situation had got even worse.

More men were coming through the inadequately sized reception, often in large groups in the evening, when there were not enough staff on duty to complete some basic tasks such as safety interviews or to enable health screening.

Urgent work was needed to make sure vulnerable prisoners, who may suffer from mental illness or who are addicted to drugs or alcohol, receive better care.

However, along with the criticisms, the report concluded there was also "cautious optimism" with a new governor and deputy bringing much-needed stability.

An MoJ spokesperson said: "The findings in this report are exactly why we are gripping the situation in prisons and supporting our hardworking staff.

“HMP Durham has already taken swift action to address the concerns."

These included the ongoing refurbishment of all cells.

To combat drugs, the searching strategy had been reviewed to "ensure a more robust approach to reduce the movement of illicit items", with an airport-style scanner in force.

There was also a fortnightly violence reduction meeting, so those involved could be more consistently discussed by a multi-disciplinary team.

The introduction of a revised weekday and weekend core day had increased daily time out of cells, so all prisoners could undertake essential wing tasks.