One in three inmates at HMP Lindholme test positive for drugs, report finds
A third of prisoners at HMP Lindholme near Doncaster tested positive for drugs last year, an inspection report has found. Drug use has been linked to at least one death, bullying and debt.
Drug use at HMP Lindholme reaches one in three prisoners, inspection warns
A third of inmates at HMP Lindholme, a Category C prison near Doncaster holding around 1,000 men, tested positive for drugs over the past year, according to an inspection report published this week, as Google News UK — Crime (en) reports.
The prison was inspected without prior notice by HM Chief Inspector of Prisons over several days in June. The report identified the "continuing availability and use of illicit drugs" as "arguably the most pressing challenge" facing the facility.
The average random mandatory drug testing positive rate stood at 33% — higher than comparable prisons of a similar size, though inspectors noted the figure "had been falling in recent months".
In a survey of 176 men held at the prison, 53% said it was "easy" or "very easy" to obtain drugs inside — a rate broadly comparable to similar-sized institutions. Inspectors also received reports of vulnerable men being bullied into taking drugs, driving them into debt and fear of reprisal.
Drug use had contributed to "at least one death" and was "fuelling debts and bullying, and damaging any chance some of the most vulnerable prisoners had to make progress", the report stated. It added there were "possible links" between drug use and further deaths, though investigations by the Prisons and Probation Ombudsman remained ongoing.
Last month, three men from Sheffield and Doncaster were arrested after police found a drone and a camouflaged parcel near the prison containing Class A and Class B drugs, tobacco, e-cigarettes and a knife.
Prison leaders had responded to the drug problem with increased suspicion-testing, stronger intelligence, closer police partnership working, and practical measures to detect drone-delivered packages. Inspectors described these as "encouraging developments", but said the underlying scale of the problem persisted.
The report also flagged overcrowding: approximately 37% of men were sharing cells originally built for a single occupant. At the time of the inspection, 956 prisoners were held at a facility with a stated capacity of 1,010.
Assault rates on both prisoners and staff remained above the average for comparable prisons, though the number of incidents had fallen since autumn 2025.
The report praised current governor Shaun Mycroft, who took up the post in June 2025, while acknowledging that the prison "continued to face some significant and persistent challenges" since its previous inspection in 2023. "Safety had not improved and respect had deteriorated, but purposeful activity and preparation for release, while still not good enough, had both improved slightly," it said.
Inspectors concluded they had "confidence in the capability of leaders to take this prison forward" and expressed "some optimism they can bring about the change and improvement needed."
Source: Google News UK — Crime (en)