Prison inmates and staff exposed to 'spice fumes' requiring hospital checks

Inmates and staff at HMP Frankland have been exposed to 'spice fumes' leading to hospital checks, according to a recent report. The Category A prison has been deemed a

"safe" environment for both staff and prisoners, in its latest Independent Monitoring Board (IMB) inspection report. It comes a month after an attack by Manchester Arena bomb

plotter Hashem Abedi. Abedi, the brother of Manchester Arena bomber Salman Abedi, assaulted three officers last month by throwing hot cooking oil at them before stabbing them with

"homemade weapons". Despite this, IMB members have described the prison as a "generally safe environment," noting that its wings seem "calm and settled", in

their most recent report. There's also been a surge in drone sightings over the County Durham prison, where 54 weapons were discovered within a year. All prisons are under the watchful

eye of an IMB, whose members regularly visit and converse with both prisoners and staff about the conditions within the jail. The latest IMB report on HMP Frankland covers the period from

December 1, 2023, to November 2024. The report emphasises that weekly safety meetings are conducted at the prison to identify and manage risks of self-harm and attacks. However, it also

highlights that, during the year the report covers, 54 weapons were found at Frankland Prison, with the use of drones to drop illicit items into the walled grounds becoming an increasing

concern, reports Chronicle Live. The report states: "Drone sightings over the prison are now becoming more common, along with rule 39 (legal mail) testing positive for drugs, in

addition to the more traditional methods of passing illicit items at social visits or during 'throw-overs'." The use of Spice within the prison is also flagged as a concern,

with the board noting that fumes from the drug are impacting both inmates and staff's health. The report reveals: "Spice, a psychoactive substance, use has been prevalent during

the reporting year and has resulted in staff and prisoners being exposed to the fumes, requiring hospital checks." The IMB has queried the Governor about what measures are being taken

to reduce the availability of drugs in the prison. It has also questioned whether long-term high-security prisons, like Frankland, are the most suitable place to house inmates with dementia

after expressing concerns about elderly and frail prisoners being kept in standard cells. "Dementia and elderly frail prisoners remain a problem throughout the prison," the report

says. "Facilities remain quite poor and there are number of prisoners with dementia still in normal accommodation." An official from the Ministry of Justice responded to concerns,

stating: "We are pleased inspectors have recognised HMP Frankland as a generally safe prison despite the significant challenges that come with running a high-security prison. "But

we know more needs to be done, which is why the prison is clamping down on the availability of illicit items by using drug detection dogs and a drug testing service. This is on top of

landmark sentencing reforms announced last week to reduce pressure on our prisons." FOR TEESSIDE UPDATES AND BREAKING NEWS DIRECT TO YOUR INBOX EVERY DAY, GO HERE TO SIGN UP TO OUR FREE

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