PRISONERS USED PAPER PLANES TO SMUGGLE DRUGS

PRISONERS throw paper darts over the perimeter wall of a jail to
obtain drugs and other contraband, according to an inspection report
published today.

Inmates in two wings close to the wall at Stafford jail attach lines
to the end of the darts and then haul the contraband back into the
prison grounds. Sir David Ramsbotham, the Chief Inspector of Prisons,
discovered the smuggling during an inspection at the jail and says
that he is concerned that two wings are extremely close to the
perimeter wall and that drugs were available throughout the jail. "We
saw numerous strips of paper which had been used as darts to throw
lines over the wall to obtain drugs and other contraband," his report
says.

The chief inspector says that grilles had been fitted to some cell
windows in an attempt to prevent inmates throwing darts over the wall.
But the grilles fitted to the windows had easily been broken by
prisoners who wanted access to the wall.

His report calls for further action at the jail to prevent inmates in
F wing from getting articles passed over the perimeter wall. Sir David
said that the governor had told him that drugs were a problem in the
jail and that inmates held on F wing were happy to stay there because
of the availability of illegal substances.

Sir David's report is also highly critical of the overcrowding and the
under-resourcing at the jail, which held 615 prisoners compared with a
certified normal accommodation of 568 inmates. He said that budget
reductions had resulted in a cut of 29 per cent in the provision of
education since April and that more cash was vitally needed for full
employment to be achieved.

The chief inspector said that different financial resources were
allocated to different prisons containing the same kind of inmates.
"This means that there are some category C prisons in which a prisoner
can expect better treatment, and more opportunities of work and
education, than are available in Stafford, which must be wrong.

"Treatment and conditions should not be a lottery, depending on the
part of the country in which a prisoner is held," he says.

Richard Tilt, Director-General of the Prison Service, admitted that
the report was critical but said that there had been improvements at
Stafford. He said he was satisfied that the problem of drugs getting
into the prison over the wall had been dealt with.

The Prison Service has put rolls of razor wire on top of the perimeter
wall to stop inmates throwing paper darts over it and has installed
closed-circuit television cameras to improve monitoring of the walls.

Mr Tilt added that Stafford had bid for more resources from the extra
UKP250 million made available by the Government to provide for
constructive regimes in jails over the next three years.

Checked-by: Patrick Henry