New poll shows public demand for early release of prisoners should be linked to drug testing

Justice Minister Shabana Mahmood is facing public pressure to link early prison releases to drug testing, according to a new survey.

A survey of 2,001 adults conducted by Opinion Matters found that 90 percent believe drug testing is important for prisoner rehabilitation, while 77.8 percent support 24-hour drug monitoring in prisons.

Crucially, 40 percent would be less worried about early release if it was accompanied by a drug test with clear results.

This comes at a time when the government has come under fire for the early release of thousands of prisoners in recent weeks because of the overcrowded conditions it found after the Tories came to power.

Many prisoners were released after serving only 40 percent of their sentences to make room in the prison system.

To add to the concerns, the capacity of prisons that are still unopened has been taken into account in future overcrowding modeling and still leaves insufficient capacity in the system for the next five years.

This means that while the government is considering another prison building program, it is also looking at alternatives to sentencing, including home tariffs.

However, one of the biggest problems in prisons is drug addiction among inmates and drug smuggling into prisons. Now a new drug patch that could monitor prisoners around the clock is being proposed to help solve the problem.

Last year, the government set up drug-free units in prisons to address the problem in prisons.

The Justice Department said research found that former prisoners were 19 percentage points less likely to return to a life of crime when they were free of drug addiction.

The government's latest prison drug strategy document outlined the problem: “Between 2012/13 and 2017/18, the rate of positive random tests for 'traditional' drugs in prisons increased by 50 per cent, from 7 per cent to 10.6 per cent, and.” Drug use in Prisons are now widespread, particularly in men’s prisons and category C prisons.”

It added: “The emergence of psychoactive substances such as synthetic cannabinoids has exacerbated the problem, and these are often used in conjunction with other drugs, while we remain aware of the problems with prescription drug diversion and abuse.”

But despite work on the issue, a report by Britain's Prison Inspectorate earlier this year described the drug problem in prisons as “a tsunami”.

At one facility, tests revealed more than half of the 600 prisoners at HMP Hindley, near Wigan, were taking drugs.

In his report on HMP Hindley, HM Chief Inspector of Prisons Charlie Taylor highlighted the problems facing the system.

He said: “A large minority of prisoners had known links to organized crime, so it is not surprising that there was a near drug tsunami in prison.”

He added: “Given the inertia, boredom and frustration caused by a really bad regime and some very inexperienced staff, it is no surprise that the prison was simply not safe enough.”

Andrea Coomber, chief executive of the Howard League for Penal Reform, warned: “We see hundreds of men locked in their cells while drug use, violence and self-harm are widespread.”

The survey was commissioned for Drug Patch, a company set up to bring an exciting new and innovative product, the Sweat Patch, to the UK. It is the only product that provides continuous drug monitoring and is designed to support individuals throughout their entire journey to recovery.

The survey was commissioned for Drug Patch, a company set up to bring an exciting new and innovative product, the Sweat Patch, to the UK. It is the only product that provides continuous drug monitoring and is designed to support individuals throughout their entire journey to recovery.

The Sweat Patch has proven effective in substance abuse courts, probation and recovery programs in the United States, Australia and New Zealand.

Drug Patch's lead toxicologist, Dr. Claire George, said: “We are really excited about the potential of this product – it provides a graceful, non-invasive way of continuous monitoring that promotes accountability and helps individuals achieve their recovery goals.”