Prison's drug culture remains 'entrenched'

Inspectors revisited Barnard Castle's HMP Deerbolt in October

Success tackling a prison's "entrenched drug culture" has been limited despite the best efforts of staff, a watchdog has found.

HMP Inspectorate of Prisons said there had been a "slight decline" in the number of positive tests at HMP Deerbolt, in Barnard Castle, County Durham, since its previous visit in 2024, but it described progress as "far from sufficient".

Inspectors praised measures such as upgraded CCTV in the visits room as a step forward, although they warned work had been hampered by issues such as staff shortages.

The Ministry of Justice (MoJ) said it realised "more must be done" to resolve issues at the site.

The latest report follows a reinspection of the Category C training prison, which has space for up to 490 men, last month.

While describing the work done to reduce the supply and use of illegal substances as commendable, it concluded "tackling the entrenched drug culture will require sustained focus, consistent leadership and the allocation of meaningful resources".

The random mandatory drug testing positive rate remained high, inspectors said, at 36% compared with 38% previously.

However, it added recent data showed a downward trend "suggesting that efforts to reduce drug use were beginning to have an impact".

In the last three months, the average positive rate had fallen to 30%.

Violence levels 'high'

At the time of the visit, investigations into two drug-related deaths were ongoing.

A comprehensive strategy, drawn up following consultation with substance misuse support agencies in the community and prisoners, is now in place.

Alongside the extra CCTV, other physical measures now implemented include all staff and visitors being searched at the security gate.

But "the day-to-day response to intelligence on drug ingress and use remained inadequate", inspectors warned, with staff shortages meaning there were not enough resources to search or test prisoners in response to tip-offs.

Meanwhile, levels of violence "remained high" compared to other prisons, with 69 assaults on prisoners and 58 on staff over six months.

That represented a 24% drop since the previous visit with inspectors judging reasonable progress had been made in that area.

Levels of self harm also "remained high" with 259 incidents, although again inspectors found that was a reduction of 30%.

Their reports also noted health services were now generally reliable and employment support for prisoners was good.

The MoJ said it had "inherited a prison system in crisis" from previous Conservative governments, which were "plagued by drugs and violence".

It added: "While inspectors recognise progress at HMP Deerbolt in cutting drug use, we know more must be done.

"That is why we're creating a second drug-free wing at the jail to support prisoners off drugs, and strengthening security as part of a £40m national investment to keep prisons safe."