Inquiry into the harm caused by substance misuse in Scottish Prisons

Overview

The issue of drugs and substance use in Scottish prisons is multifaceted, encompassing both the supply of illegal substances and the support available for those struggling with the effects of usage. The Scottish Prison Service (SPS) acknowledges this challenge and has implemented measures, including:

• An Incident Management Team working alongside Public Health Scotland, Scottish Ambulance Service, Police Scotland, and NHS partners.
• Problem Assessment Groups to provide rapid responses within prisons.
• Collaboration with the University of Dundee to assess the extent and nature of drug use.
• Ongoing efforts to implement technological solutions to detect contraband.
• Despite these measures, concerns persist regarding the effectiveness of current approaches and the need for a more comprehensive strategy that balances enforcement with rehabilitation and recovery support.

The Criminal Justice Committee is starting a new inquiry to review progress of the efforts to tackle the following issues:

Illegal drug and substance supply in prisons:

• How drugs and other substances enter prison facilities.
• The effectiveness of current detection and prevention strategies.
• The role of organised crime networks in supply in prisons.

Impact of drug and other substance use in prisons:

• Health risks associated with synthetic drugs and other substances, such as alcohol.
• The effect on prison safety and staff welfare.
• The effect on the person in prison.
• The effect and impact on families of the person in prison.

Rehabilitation and support for incarcerated drug users:

• Identifying why prisoners turn to drugs and other substances whilst incarcerated.
• Availability and effectiveness of healthcare, treatment and rehabilitation programmes for drug and substance misuse.
• The role of medication-assisted treatment (MAT), harm reduction strategies and recovery communities.
• Access to mental health and addiction services.
• Throughcare and aftercare support post-release.
• Challenges faced by individuals upon release, including unplanned release from remand, and the risk of relapse.
• Effectiveness of current third-sector throughcare partnerships, such as the new Scottish Government’s national service.
• Engagement with affected stakeholders.

This Call for Views builds on concerns raised by members of the public who took part in a recent People’s Panel, which looked at solutions for reducing drug deaths in Scotland and tackling problem drug use. One of the Panel’s recommendations focused on drug use in prisons. It highlighted serious concerns about the rise and strength of synthetic drugs, the impact this is having on both people in prison and prison staff, and the urgent need for better rehabilitation and support.
 
We want to hear from people with experience of prison - either directly or through work or family - to help us understand how things are working in practice and what changes are needed to make the system safer and more supportive.

Timetable

The Committee plans to start taking oral evidence from the end of May until the summer recess in July and then continuing in the Autumn.

How to submit your views

Please complete the Call for Views below. It is not necessary to answer all the questions. If you would prefer to send in a statement which does not cover any of the questions, please get in touch with the committee at justice.committee@parliament.scot.

We welcome written views in English, Gaelic, Scots or any other language. 

The call for views closes on 22 August 2025.

We recognise that your views may have been informed by your own personal experience. 

However, you should note that in order to comply with data protection requirements we may have to redact information if it can identify another living person and it would be unfair to that individual to publish the information that identifies them on our website. The threshold for assessing whether publishing of information is fair to the individual is higher where the information is sensitive personal data which includes information about criminal offences or health for example. 

If you are able to draft your submission in a way that does not include identifying information (like their name or where they live or work), it will assist us in publishing your submission in full. We will consider each submission on a case-by-case basis and contact you if we are unable to publish your submission in the form you have provided. 

Furthermore, we ask that you do not provide any details of live court cases.