Jail heroin tests 'second worst in country'

3:57pm Thursday 13th March 2008

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THE scale of drug abuse inside jail was revealed today as figures showed one in six inmates in some prisons tested positive for opiates such as heroin.

And Erlestoke, a 350-place jail near Devizes, scored the second-highest level of positive tests for heroin and other opiates, at 16.1%.

Ministry of Justice figures showed the highest level of opiate abuse - some 16.7% of inmates - was uncovered in random tests at Featherstone prison in Wolverhampton.

Out of 139 prisons in England and Wales, only 38 were clear of positive opiate tests.

The same number were also clear of cannabis in a three-month study carried out last year but published for the first time today.

Other jails with high levels of positive opiate results were Peterborough's male prison (11.5%), Lowdham Grange near Nottingham (10.6%), Lincoln (10.4%) and Altcourse in Liverpool (10.2%).

The figures came as ministers announced that testing for the opiate substitute buprenorphine is to be introduced into all prisons next month.

A Ministry of Justice spokesman said drug use in prison measured by the random mandatory drug tests showed the positive rate had fallen from 24.4% in 1996/97 to 8.8% in 2006/07.