Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what steps his Department is taking to tackle (a) violence and (b) drug use in prisons.

The Government is committed to improving prison safety and we are working hard to make prisons as safe as possible for those who live and work in them. Reducing violence is a key priority and we are continuing our efforts on a range of measures, including having specialist staff and equipment to stop the smuggling of contraband such as drugs, weapons and mobile phones, supporting those identified as posing a raised risk of violence through a case management approach addressing underlying causes, and rolling out Body Worn Video Cameras across the estate to support prosecutions and ensure incidents are dealt with fairly.

We work closely with health partners to support prisoners with a drug misuse need into treatment and recovery, and we have funded Incentivised Substance Free Living Units in 88 prisons, where prisoners sign a behaviour compact, agree to be regularly drug tested and can access enhanced opportunities compared to a standard wing. Findings from our randomised control trial indicate that prisoners on ISFL units are over 30% less likely to be involved in violence, self-harm, or disorder compared to those elsewhere in the prison. We have introduced Drug Strategy Leads in key prisons and Group Drug and Alcohol Leads at Prison Group level to coordinate activity, and we are expanding access to mutual aid and lived experience services. We have also rolled out lifesaving Naloxone across prisons with training embedded as a requirement for new prison officers.