Legal highs undermining government plans for reform

A new report has revealed that the high number of legal highs entering UK prisons is the cause of a surge in violence behind bars.

A committee made up of MPs has warned that prisons in both England and Wales are falling victim to an increasing number of violent incidents, as well as cases of self-harming and suicide. The Justice Select Committee has warned that this situation has the potential to ‘severely undermine’ Justice Secretary Michael Gove’s attempts to reduce repeat offending rates through rehabilitation of inmates. The situation is worsening, the committee warns, despite efforts to make UK prisons safer.

Mr Gove’s new plan to reform the penal system includes giving prison governors greater control over how their prison operates. Prisons will be put on league tables to reveal how successful their measures have been at stopping former prisoners from reoffending and many more inmates will be given day releases.

In December last year, prison inspectors gave a warning that the presence of legal highs in prisons was a significant problem. The Justice Select Committee’s chairman, Bob Neill, said, ‘The ministry hoped that prison safety would stabilise. In reality it has deteriorated further and continues to do so. This is a matter of great concern and improvement is urgently needed.’

The prisons minister, Andrew Selous, remarked that the report highlighted how in need of reform the penal system is and that efforts must be made to reduce the violence and suicides occurring in prisons.