Major prison reform set for country's jails

PUBLISHED: 14:41 03 November 2016 | UPDATED: 14:41 03 November 2016

Luke May

General views of Belmarsh prison

Archant

Thousands of prison officers are set to be employed in a major shake-up of the country’s prisons.

Jails across the country, including Belmarsh Prison in Thamesmead, will soon be registered ‘no fly zones’ to items such as drugs and mobile phones being smuggled to prisoners via drones.

The shake-up is set to cost £100million a year, in a bid to cut the £15billion cost of reoffending.

Hundreds of sniffer dogs have also been trained to detect dangerous dugs inside jails.

“These extra officers and new safety measures will help us crack down on the toxic cocktail of drugs, drones and mobile phones that are flooding our prisons, imperilling the safety of staff and offenders and thwarting reform” commented justice secretary Elizabeth Truss.