Report 22: 2017

Minimising Drugs and Alcohol in Prisons

Recommendations

1.    By the end of June 2018, the Department should:

a.    develop a new drug and alcohol strategy that includes targets and measures of success

b.    review the DPT program, to ensure that it gives a more accurate and complete view of drug and alcohol use in prisons

c.    consider other information it collects, such as security reports, incident reports, and search results to present a more holistic view of drug use in prisons

d.    review gatehouse searching requirements, and ensure that all prisons have processes in place to select targets in a non-predictable way

e.    review prison compliance with key supply reduction procedures to ensure they are carried out consistently and correctly

f.     formalise processes and standard operating procedures for all areas, including its intelligence team, ensure that staff are suitably trained, and prisons have timely access to intelligence information.

2.    By the end of December 2018, the Department should:

a.    review current treatment approaches to demand and harm reduction, to ensure they are up-to-date and able to meet the diverse needs of prisoners

b.    review current treatment programs, and establish measures to allow their effectiveness to be assessed

c.    establish methods to assess the effectiveness of incentives and sanctions on reducing drug and alcohol use by prisoners to inform ongoing improvements in strategy

d.    compile a data dictionary for TOMS, and review controls in critical data systems to improve data accuracy and reliability

e.    assess whether prisons have access to the security devices they need to reduce the entry of drugs and alcohol into prisons.

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