Inmates escape drug testing at cash-strapped jail, says report

Hundreds of suspected drug-taking inmates at a London prison are escaping detection because there is not enough money to test them, government inspectors revealed today.

A report on HMP Pentonville found that 200 requests by prison officers for tests for illicit substances were refused because of a lack of resources.

Drug abuse by inmates has been linked to reoffending on release and the inspectors warned that Pentonville has "amongst the highest incidence of mental health and substance abuse of any local prison in the country".

The report, by the chief inspector of prisons, Nick Hardwick, follows strong criticism of standards at the prison and a scandal in 2009 over the transfer of potentially troublesome inmates between Wandsworth and Pentonville in an attempt to subvert inspections. Mr Hardwick said that despite some improvements, problems remained. These include "weak" systems for combating bullying and violence, the use of unscreened lavatories, and insufficient activities for prisoners.

The report stated that although 25 per cent of all new inmates require "stabilisation, maintenance or detoxification" for alcohol or drug misuse, resources are limited.

It added: "As a consequence, few suspicion tests were undertaken and in the previous three months 200 requests for tests had not been met.

"A core group of three mandatory drugs test officers used a testing suite that contained only one holding room and suspicion tests were frequently abandoned."

The report said the rate at which inmates are subject to random tests has also fallen, although it found that overall drug and alcohol treatment has improved and that there has been "some success in reducing the flow of illicit drugs into the prison".

Michael Spurr, the chief executive officer of the National Offender Management Service, which is responsible for prisons, said: "The prison is working hard to expand the provision of activities for prisoners to ensure they address their offending behaviour and reduce the likelihood of reoffending on release."

Pentonville, which opened in 1842, houses more than 1,200 prisoners. About half of inmates are black or from an ethnic minority and nearly 30 per cent are foreign nationals.