Widespread violence at Bristol prison caused by 'deluge' of drugs

A "deluge" of drugs at Bristol Prison has led to widespread violence, debt and self-harm among inmates.

That's the warning from the Chief Inspector for Prisons, who said this was linked to a 'chronic' staff shortage and a history of underinvestment.

One in 7 men at the prison said they'd developed a drugs problem while inside - with an "exceptionally high" number testing positive during random drug testing.

HMP Bristol, a mixture of Victorian and 20th century buildings, was holding 543 men at the time of the inspection in 2014.

THE FINDINGS:

The previous inspection in 2014 found that some progress had been made after serious concerns were raised by an inspection in 2013, but that further improvement was required.

This latest inspection found that standards had declined and the prison was now less safe than two years before, and the assessment for work, training and education had sunk to the lowest possible.

But Peter Clarke also said the situation is likely to improve, with more staff due to arrive and plans to better the prison's conditions.

He spoke to us about the credible plans for improvement.

Inspectors were pleased to find that:

• relationships between staff and prisoners were reasonably good and over two-thirds of prisoners said that staff treated them respectfully

• and much good work was done to support prisoners being released, but even with creditable efforts being made, a third were released homeless or to temporary accommodation.