A RANGE of measures aimed at reducing drug use in Dartmoor Prison has given the establishment one of the lowest rates of positive drug tests in the country.
A recent report by the prison's watchdog — the Board of Visitors — said that fewer than five per cent of inmates tested under the mandatory random testing policy were found to be positive, making it the second lowest in England and Wales.
Under the policy, the prison tests about half a dozen people each day, selected at random by computer, for various forms of drugs.
Governor John Lawrence said the prison had always had a good record for drugs, but welcomed the news. He said the prison operated a policy not only of cutting off the supply, with tight security — involving intelligence, the searching of visitors, surveillance and the presence of drug dogs, who could even pinpoint smugglers who were carrying drugs internally — but also of addressing the problems of drug users.
Known users were tested regularly for drugs and encouraged to wean themselves off drugs and alcohol through a range of rehabilitation courses, including one run in conjunction with the Exeter Drug Project, which provided counselling and advice for inmates.
The report also highlighted that there had been no suicides in the prison for the second year running.