Brixton: Where men turn to drugs because they have nothing productive to do

The Howard League for Penal Reform has responded to HM Inspectorate of Prisons’ report on Brixton prison, published today (Tuesday 24 September).

Inspectors visited the prison, in south London, in June 2024 and found that many of the men held there had turned to drugs because they had nothing constructive to do.

The prison was the most overcrowded of its category in the country, with two-thirds of the men sharing cells designed for one person. Inspectors found cramped, dirty cells with little fresh air, and some people locked up for more than 23 hours a day.

Andrea Coomber KC (Hon.), Chief Executive of the Howard League for Penal Reform, said: “If someone is sent to prison, we should do all that we can to support them to move on from crime and live healthily.

“Brixton is doing the opposite, with hundreds of men locked up for hours on end in dirty, overcrowded cells and turning to drugs when they should be getting training and employment.

“But Brixton is not an isolated case. This is the latest in a long line of inspection reports on overcrowded prisons up and down the country that are failing to turn lives around. It underlines the need for a major overhaul of a system that has been asked to do too much, with too little, for too long.”

Notes to editors

1. The Howard League for Penal Reform is the oldest penal reform charity in the world. It is a national charity working for less crime, safer communities and fewer people in prison.
2. For more information about prison overcrowding, how it came about, and how it can be solved, visit the ‘Why are prisons overcrowded?’ page on the Howard League website at: https://howardleague.org/why-are-prisons-overcrowded/
3. The inspection report for Brixton prison will be available on the HM Inspectorate of Prisons website at: https://hmiprisons.justiceinspectorates.gov.uk/our-reports/

Contact

Noor Khan
Press and Public Affairs Officer
Tel: +44 (0)20 7241 7873
Email: noor.khan@howardleague.org