Social and environmental factors influencing in‐prison drug use

Abstract

Purpose:There is a strong political imperative to regard the prison as a key social setting for health promotion, but evidence indicates that drug misuse continues to be a significant issue for many prisoners. This paper examines the social and environmental factors within the setting that influence individuals' drug taking. Design/methodology/approach:Focus groups and interviews were conducted with prisoners and staff in three male training prisons in England. The sampling approach endeavoured to gain 'maximum variation' so that a broad based understanding of the prison setting could be gathered. The data were analysed in accordance with Attride-Stirling's (2001) thematic network approach. Findings:The findings suggest a myriad of social and environmental factors influencing drug use.Whilst staff recognised the scale of the drugs problem, they struggled to cope with creative inmates who were not perturbed by taking risks to gain their supplies. Fellow prisoners played a major role in individuals' decision making, as did the boredom of institutional life and Mandatory Drug Testing (MDT) policies within the institutions. Practical implications:Drug treatment is an essential component of prison healthcare, but it only forms a small part of creating a health promoting setting. If the health promoting prison is to be fully realised, a more radical, upstream and holistic outlook is required. Originality/value:The settings approach is an important theoretical and practical approach in health promotion. In comparison to other settings (such as schools), however, there has been limited research on the prison as a health promoting environment.

Behind Bars: The Truth about Drugs in Prisons

“…They often require sophisticated planning and preparation, to circumvent systems put in place to prevent drug smuggling [20]. It has been stated, by a prison officer, that prisoners could be inventive and creative in the ways of bringing in drugs, which makes the task of security management increasingly difficult [3]. Drugs are disguised in a variety of ways, which includes trying to disguise the smell, for example by smothering the package with marmite [15].…”

“…This does not necessarily mean visitors willingly take items into prisons, with some being coerced and put under pressure by third parties [9,21]. It has been confirmed by staff, as well as prisoners, that prison visits are one of the more usual routes for drugs to enter the prison system [3]. In England, there has been an increase in visitors being arrested on suspicion of conveying drugs.…”

“…In large training institutions with long perimeters and relatively free prisoner movement, it is possible for small packages containing drugs to be thrown over walls or fences. These are subsequently collected by inmates who use illicit mobile phones smuggled into the facility to co-ordinate the collection [3,9,23]. Inmates will often stage some form of distraction, such as an argument or fight, to divert attention from packages being thrown into the facility.…”

“…One model that studied status and power in prison settings implies that some prisoners influence other vulnerable prisoners to take drugs to exploit them for financial gains [3]. There has also been an increase of 20% in the number of assaults in prison since 1993 to 1995 [36].…”

‘It was just like we were a family again’: play as a means to maintain family ties for children visiting an imprisoned parent

“…Indeed, prison rules prohibit prisoners from physically embracing their children or for any meaningful play or interaction. This is because prison visits are frequently a route for illicit drugs to enter the institution (Woodall, 2012). However, research does show that where prisons allow extended visits, where children are more engaged in structured activities (these are sometimes common at Christmas time and during school holidays), the likelihood of consolidating and improving parent-child bonds is increased .…”