I accept that, despite stringent precautions, there is significant drug abuse in some prisons. Steps which are being taken to keep drugs out of the prisons include a high level of staff vigilance, closed circuit video surveillance, screening of prisoners after visits and regular searches of the prisons.
Our prison system operates a humane and liberal regime for offenders including free association between prisoners and free and open contact on visits with families and friends. There is, therefore, a risk that some prisoner and visitors will abuse the system by passing illegal drugs on visits and that prisoners, will abuse free association by passing drugs to each other.