The following is a letter to insidetime, from issue February 2012
Manipulation of prescription drugs
There is a clear manipulation of the extent of prescription drug abuse within the prison estate, and one has to ask ‘Why hide the problem?’ I broke my back in a major car crash 15 years ago and I’m forced to take high strength opiate pain-killers just to be able to move. Yet I’m forced to queue and have my oral cavity probed every day to ‘prove’ I’ve taken my medication thanks to the large number of prisoners telling CARATS they are clean whilst at the same time selling their medication (which is usually Tremadol).
The first question that has to be asked is why the MoJ, in conjunction with local PCTs, switched vast amounts of prisoners from co-codamol/DHCs, etc, which would show up on Mandatory Drug Tests, to Tremadol, a drug which does not show up on MDTs? I suspect this is nothing more than a manipulation of the figures and a clear denial of a problem that has direct links to the reoffending rates. A recent Freedom of Information requested revealed that in a 4 year period (2004-8) no ‘street’ drugs at all were seized at HMP Albany! But in that same period the queue for IDTs (Methadone) grew and grew.
In both HMP Albany and HMP Bure you can clearly see prisoners ‘whacked’ out of their minds and who never get robustly challenged by staff as long as they do not cause a problem. Because of my chronic back problem I avoid the gym due to the fear of causing myself more damage, but every day in the meds queue I have to listen to guys who are queuing for pain-killers for their back problems boasting about how much they can bench-press in the gym. If someone complains that their pain is so bad they need opiates then I suggest they should be barred from the gym as a minimum requirement. Along with that, a system-wide switch to liquid painkillers would cut the dealing overnight – instead of trying to hide the problem.
Parole Board want us to be robots
Campaign for a better prison phone system
Traveller’s credit
Courses should be available to ALL!
Courses should count for something
1992, a very bad year
Imprisonment for Public Protection or Incompetent Prison Psychology?
Second class citizen
The care of mentally ill prisoners in our prisons
Landing officers
Get off the bandwagon
Sports tops banned
Setting the record straight
Lights out!
Health Champions role at HMP Onley
British law accepts a tautology
Same Sex Marriage in prison
Pregnant and in prison
It’s nice to be nice!
Defending ‘junkies’ like me
Scabies epidemic at HMP Durham?
No justice for Michael Stone, but justice for others?
Current page: Manipulation of prescription drugs
Justice for Stephen
Institutional racism
***STAR LETTER*** Good and bad in everyone
What’s in a name?
Public Enemies
Outraged
insidetime
|
|
Issue : May 2013
Advert
Back Issues
Browse and Search Tools
View headlines by category
Search headlines | All headlines
Search mailbag | All mailbag
Search poems | All poems
May 2013 Headlines
Legal Aid: Government
consult on £220m saving plan
The Tony Shepherd Case
You’re nicked
A Guide to Representing Yourself in Court
Court in the Inaction
Legal Aid: back in the firing line
At the mercy of the Prison Service
Appeals: Who can help me? How much will it cost?
Guilty pleas and reduced sentences
Month by Month
Jonathan King writes
Typewriters in Prison
Notes from the other side of the wall
Some of us just need a second chance
Incentives and
Earned Privileges
Launch of an Alcohol and Crime Commission
From over the wall
Transformers: Robots in disguise?
Prison Widow
Recent study highlights the problems of past abuse
Fraudulent trading or bad business – where is the line drawn?
OASys - Wonder or Wall in helping or halting your progression?
Challenging Search Warrants
About Us
About insidetime
Directors
Editorial Team
InsidePoetry Book
New! Volume 4 of
insidepoetry book
is now available!
A collection of poems by prisoners of all backgrounds.
Availabe to buy from this site! Volume 1,2 and 3 are also still available and you can SAVE by purchasing bundles!
Advert
Subscribe
You can subscribe to insidetime Newspaper and get the paper each month delivered to your door!
Advertise
Advertise your business or solicitors office to a highly defined target audience.
Other Publications
Inside Time has produced a number of books and publications you can purchase online.
Contact Us
All contact info for the Operations office and the Editorial Team.
Site Map
Our site map page contains links to all pages on the insidetime site.
Advert
External Links
We have a number of external websites which you may be interested on our Links Page.
Social Networking
insideinformation
Prisons
Everything you need to know about visiting people in prison; procedures, opening times, directions etc.
Comprehensive information about each prison regime; lock down times, facilities, healthcare etc.
insideinformation Book
A comprehensive guide to prisons and prison related services, designed and compiled by former prisoners.
Advert
Help and Support
Various pages of information for help and support organisations and networks for those in custody as well as recently released. Also information for friends and family.
Grants and Funding
This grants and funding pdf document aims to meet the need of prisoners and ex-offenders for accurate, up to date information on the supplementary funding available to prisoners.
Rules and Regulations
Information on rules & regulations used throughout the prison service.
Advert
Glossary of Terms
The Glossary of Prison Related Terms explains what all the acronyms and terms stand for with prison related matters. Includes links to external sites to further explain things.
Fact Sheets
We have produced many Prison Related Fact Sheets inc. Legal Fact Sheets, Parole Fact Sheets and Other related information.
Find a Solicitor
You can search our solicitor database for listings of solicitors in your area that provide the services you require.
Find a Barrister
You can search our barrister database for listings of barristers in your area that provide the services you require.
Address Finder
You can search our address database in many ways to retrieve contact information for all those elusive addresses you need in a hurry.
Advert
Prison Law pdf
This document provides details of leading training providers who offer sound professional training.
Other Publications
Inside Information has produced a number of books and publications you can purchase online.
Site Map
Our site map page contains links to all pages on the insideinformation site.
Contact Us
Use the Contact Us Feedback form to send us suggestions, plus our address and phone numbers.
insidejustice
insidejustice was launched in July 2010 to investigate alleged miscarriages of justice.
Full introduction is on the insidejustice homepage
insidejustice Articles & Reviews
insidejustice Advisory Panel Members
insidejusticecontact details