UK prisons

HM Inspectorate of Prisons said in its report that during a test carried out at inspection at HMP Hindley, 52 percent of inmates were positive for drugs.

The conviction of seven people for conspiring to smuggle drugs into jail has once again highlighted the problem of how to stop inmates accessing mobile phones.

Issues faced by the criminal justice system have been exacerbated by the impact of the pandemic, with most agencies not able to move into full recovery.

Justice Secretary Alex Chalk has given details in the House of Commons of a range of measures being taken to reduce the prison population in England and Wales.

Justice Secretary Alex Chalk said the foreign national inmates were costing the purse hundreds of thousands of pounds a year when they could be deported.

Damien Hinds said new drug units would be installed in British jails to cope with the crisis after 2,400 incidents were recorded in jails last year.

A report by Independent Monitoring Board (IMB) of HMP Wandsworth warned of overcrowding and the rise in assaults against prison officers.

The government will explore the option of moving prisoners to foreign countries, provide the estate facilities meet British standards.