‘Third of prisoners have drug problem’

A medical expert has warned against comparing prisoners’ medical and psychiatric needs to those of the general population, saying prisons had to be seen within their own distinct context. “Prison is a totally distinct environment, full of damaged individuals – some with personality disorders, other with plenty of time and plenty to think about,” the source said. His comments come in the wake of statements made by Corradino Correctional Facility inmate Daniel Holmes to The Times, describing prison as rife with certified use of prescription medicines and inmates as “popping pills like there’s no tomorrow”. The medical expert, who cannot be named, had some sympathy for Mr Holmes’s perspective. “I can understand where he’s coming from. But you can’t look at the scenario in isolation,” he insisted, noting there were a variety of factors impacting on the type of cure an inmate would receive. According to the expert, “at least one-third of the prison population at any given time will have some sort of drug problem. You also get sociopaths who go out of their way to abuse anything they can get their hands on, and others with underlying psychological problems which eventually manifest...