Concerns over legal high use in British jails

Prison governors, already reeling from the rise in violence and drug-taking among the country’s jail population, are now facing a new crisis.

Reports have emerged of hardened criminals forcing timid fellow prisoners to sample legal highs in jail. The legal high in question is ‘Spice’ which is a chemical form of Marijuana, with effects known to be notoriously volatile.

Depending on the makeup of the chemicals, Spice can be dangerous. It has led to the hospitalisation of some prisoners, and even to deaths. Reports show that hard-case prisoners have been forcing frightened fellow-inmates to try out some of each batch of this potentially lethal legal high to ensure it is safe to use themselves.

The matter has come to a head following a report from Prison watchdog, IMP – the Independent Monitoring Board, into conditions at Maidstone Prison in Kent. The IMP found that not only was drug-taking on the increase inside the jail but terrified prisoners were being used as guinea pigs to test out Spice.

Despite these revelations, the authorities remain confident that the crisis is being addressed. A Prison Service spokesperson said, “As this report recognises, improvements have been made. But we must do more to tackle drugs in our prisons.”

“That’s why we’ve put a range of robust measures in place, including the use of search dogs and tough new laws which will see those who smuggle packages over prison walls, including new psychoactive substances, face up to two years in prison.”