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Prisons: Drugs

Answer

Prisoners are subject to both random and targeted mandatory drug testing. The figures¹ for contracted out prisons in each of the last five years are given in the following tables. Some prisoners will have been tested more than once in any year.

Random MDT testing
	2002-03	2003-04	2004-05	2005-06	2006-07
Prison	Tests	% pop	% +	Tests	% pop	% +	Tests	% pop	% +	Tests	% pop	% +	Tests	% pop	% +
Altcourse	1,172	10.0	12.0	1,182	9.9	12.0	1,155	10.0	14.7	1,136	9.9	10.4	1,204	9.7	13.0
Ashfield	330	10.3	11.5	297	8.9	8.1	339	9.6	7.4	365	9.2	3.6	442	9.8	1.8
Bronzefield²	—	—	—	—	—	—	283	8.4	17.0	384	7.6	9.9	277	5.5	5.8
Doncaster	1,266	9.4	9.7	1,262	9.5	10.7	1,305	9.9	8.2	1,309	10.1	6.2	1,339	10.0	8.5
Dovegate	788	8.7	11.7	817	8.0	17.5	922	9.2	15.2	829	8.5	16.0	807	8.1	12.5
Forest Bank	1,263	10.4	14.9	1,298	10.8	21.4	1,225	10.0	21.0	624	5.1	21.0	640	5.1	9.5
Lowdham Grange	315	5.1	4.1	309	4.9	4.9	311	5.1	8.4	310	5.0	10.3	327	5.0	14.4
Parc	539	4.6	14.3	583	5.0	23.8	599	5.0	15.2	597	5.0	6.5	628	4.9	5.4
Peterborough Female³	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	266	13.9	10.5	387	15.8	7.8
Peterborough Male³	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	411	8.9	16.1	507	4.9	21.5
Rye Hill	393	5.0	4.6	396	5.0	7.3	386	5.0	14.0	356	5.0	16.3	367	5.1	15.8
Wolds	465	10.2	3.2	419	10.1	3.3	425	10.3	1.4	361	10.2	1.4	403	9.9	5.5

Targeted MDT testing
	2002-03	2003-04	2004-05	2005-06	2006-07
Prison	Tests	% pop	% +	Tests	% pop	% +	Tests	% pop	% +	Tests	% pop	% +	Tests	% pop	% +
Altcourse	211	1.8	37.9	152	1.3	33.6	327	2.9	47.1	309	2.7	32.4	137	1.1	24.8
Ashfield	201	6.3	32.3	163	4.9	45.4	197	5.7	43.1	154	3.9	42.2	217	4.8	43.3
Bronzefield²	—	—	—	—	—	—	69	2.0	43.5	101	2.0	34.7	153	3.0	27.5
Doncaster	923	6.9	26.2	1284	9.6	23.8	1398	10.6	19.8	1350	10.5	18.1	1088	8.1	28.3
Dovegate	177	2.0	18.6	403	4.0	15.1	383	3.9	15.7	551	5.7	24.7	612	6.1	22.1
Forest Bank	659	5.4	L38.1	678	5.6	51.2	682	5.6	49.9	1134	9.2	54.1	1273	10.0	42.9
Lowdham Grange	511	8.2	7.0	602	9.6	8.3	549	8.9	8.4	542	8.9	16.8	626	9.5	12.9
Parc	26	0.2	53.8	77	0.6	49.4	47	0.4	17.0	107	0.9	19.6	118	1.0	16.9
Peterborough Female³	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	236	12.3	27.1	444	18.1	17.3
Peterborough Male³	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	135	2.9	39.3	340	3.3	35.9
Rye Hill	141	1.8	23.4	129	1.7	26.4	30	0.4	40.0	37	0.6	45.9	221	3.0	34.4
Wolds	65	1.4	21.5	120	3.0	18.3	122	2.9	14.8	125	3.5	18.4	128	3.1	10.2
¹ % pop = percentage of prisoners tested based on total of monthly population figures over twelve months; % + = percentage of tests that tested positive.
² HMP Bronzefield did not open until June 2004.
³ HMP Peterborough did not open until March 2005.
Notes:
1. Information has not been provided for the total number of tests that tested positive as this can be calculated by using the percentage of positive tests and the number of tests carried out.
2. There are two types of MDT—random and targeted. The random MDT positive rate is one of the prison service's key performance indicators. Initially, 10 per cent. of every prison's population was tested each month under the random programme, but since 1999 prisons with a population of 400 or above have tested 5 per cent. The reduced level of random testing was expected to be compensated for by an increase in targeted testing. Due to contractual obligations, some contracted out prisons have continued to test at the 10 per cent. random level.

Secondary information

Type

Written question

Reference

188348; 472 c1507-10W

Session

2007-08

Subjects

Drugs Prisons

Link

View this Written question on www.publications.parliament.uk