Number of drugs in Scots prisons at 10 year high

By ANDREW WHITAKER
Published on 08/03/2013 12:06

THE number of drugs found in Scotland’s prisons reached a 10 year high with nearly 2,000 illegal substances seized from inmates in 2012, newly released figures have revealed.

An average of five prisoners every day were caught with illegal drugs in 2012 - a 14 per cent rise on the 2011 figures, and a jump of 89 per cent since 2002.

The 1,946 drug seizures at Scotland’s jails in 2012 were revealed in a ministerial reply to a parliamentary question from Conservative MSP Margaret Mitchell.

She said: “It’s absolutely astonishing that so many drugs can find their way into what is meant to be a highly secure environment.

“Prisons are supposed to rehabilitate inmates, but with more than five finds a day the opposite is happening.

“The SNP has to get a grip on this situation before it gets any worse.”