ISOLATE JAIL DRUG BARONS, DEMAND MPs

Drug barons operating in prison should be sent to segregation units,
according to a report by MPs published today which calls for tougher action
on the drug supply networks in jail.

In a survey of the increasing problem of drugs in prison, the Home Affairs
Select Committee concludes that insufficient action has been taken to
disrupt drug dealers' activities in prison.

At least two prisons have started segregating drug dealers and the MPs
suggest that other prison governors should follow the same practice once
there is evidence of their operations. Segregation may be used as a
punishment, but it can also be used for prisoners who are facing charges or
who are under investigation.

The committee was told by Sir David Ramsbotham, the Chief Inspector of
Prisons, that there are at least ten serious dealers in every prison.
Martin Nearey, the Director-General of the Prison Service, agreed that
dealers operated in many prisons.

In their report, the MPs also recommend greater police liason with prison
staff to pass on intelligence. They find that forces are still patchy in
their links to prisons, although such links are vital for the supply of
information.

The MPs also suggest that greater use of sniffer dogs in jails would
provide both a deterrent and intelligence. They suggest that every prison
should have its own dog unit with "passive" dogs, animals that detect drugs
without alerting the suspect.