Inmates at a Portland prison are believed to be making their own version of the drug known as 'spice'.

A report from the Independent Monitoring Board (IMB) said that prisoners were believed to be producing the drug spice - a paper-based psychoactive substance - from inside HMP/YOI Portland, as well as brewing alcohol, known as hooch.

The IMB is a group of volunteers legally required to monitor the treatment received by those detained in custody to confirm it is fair, just and humane.

The IMB has released its findings from the prison for the year April 1, 2022 to March 31, 2023.

The report states that there were "spikes of spice and ‘hooch'" in November and in March.

Following the spike of spice and hooch in March there was a "noticeable increase in debt, violence and self-harm" but it was "under control by the end of the reporting period."

It says that intelligence at the latter end of the year suggested that spice was being produced from within the prison in its crystal form, which "is being closely monitored within the prison."

As a result, staff have received additional training in the use of naloxone - a life-saving drug that can be used to quickly reverse the effects of an opioid overdose. A scheme is also underway to train prisoners in its use.

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The report states that "while every attempt is made to prevent illicit items from entering the prison, they do still come in."

There were 416 reported incidents of self-harm in the reporting period, the report said, which is an increase from 262 in 2021/2022.

The report found that much of this increase was attributed to the last three months of the reporting period. 

Between January and March 2023, there were an average of 52 incidents a month against the average of 28 in the previous months primarily due to "a number of repeat self-harmers."

However, the IMB found that generally "the prison is well controlled and the prisoners feel safe" and that "prisoners reported feeling they were respected and that staff were approachable."

Around 500 prisoners live at HMP Prison across seven units in a mixture of single and double cells. It is a category C prison.

A spokesperson for the Ministry of Justice said: "We are pleased inspectors recognised the efforts of our hardworking staff to build an environment where prisoners feel safe and are investing significantly in new measures to stop drugs entering prisons. 

“Our £100m investment in prison security – including airport-style X-ray scanners, drug dogs and phone blocking technology – is thwarting more attempts than ever to smuggle contraband into prisons.

"We are also ensuring vulnerable prisoners get the mental health support that they need by increasing staffing levels alongside specific training on self-harm prevention.”