This European Monitoring Centre for Drugs and Drug Addiction (EMCDDA) Insights report 
provides a comprehensive overview of the current knowledge and latest developments 
in the field of drug use and prison in the 30 countries reporting to the EMCDDA up to the 
end of 2020: the 27 EU Member States, Norway, Turkey and the United Kingdom. It also 
identifies important gaps in our knowledge, challenges for better provision of interventions 
and implications for policy and practice. The report provides an overview of the current 
situation in the field of drugs and prison in the following areas: drug use and drug-related 
problems among the prison population; the availability of drug-related services in prison; 
the evidence available for effective interventions in the prison setting; drug supply and 
supply reduction interventions; and future challenges relating to prison and drugs
Foreword 
Executive summary 
Acknowledgements 
CHAPTER 1
An introduction to prison and drugs in Europe
Liesbeth Vandam, Linda Montanari, Ines
Hasselberg, Luis Royuela, Paul Turnbull and Paul Griffiths 
CHAPTER 2
Drug use before, during and after imprisonment
Luis Royuela, Linda Montanari, Ines
Hasselberg, Viktor Mravčík, Liesbeth Vandam and Wayne Hall 
CHAPTER 3
Drug-related health problems of people in prison
Linda Montanari, Luis Royuela, Ines
Hasselberg, Liesbeth Vandam and Wayne Hall 
CHAPTER 4
Health and social responses to drug problems in prison
Linda Montanari, Anna Tarján, Ines
Hasselberg, Lara Tavoschi, Wayne Hall, Brendan Hughes, Liesbeth Vandam, Amber
Vernooij and Heino Stöver 
CHAPTER 5
A focus on harm reduction interventions in prison
Linda Montanari, Anna Tarján, Ines
Hasselberg, Wayne Hall, Liesbeth Vandam, Amber Vernooij and Heino Stöver 
CHAPTER 6
Available evidence and good practice addressing drug use and related
harms in prison settings
Lara Tavoschi, Linda Montanari and Dagmar
Hedrich 
CHAPTER 7
Supply of drugs in prison
Paul Turnbull, Linda Montanari, Luis
Royuela, Brendan Hughes and Liesbeth Vandam 
CHAPTER 8
Current insights and future challenges
Ines Hasselberg, Linda Montanari,
Liesbeth Vandam, Luis Royuela, Paul Turnbull and Jane Mounteney 
Abbreviations
European Monitoring Centre for Drugs and Addiction
European Monitoring Centre for Drugs and Drug Addiction (2022). Prison and Drugs in Europe: The problem and responses. EMCDDA, Luxembourg: Publications Office of the European Union. Prison and drugs in Europe: current and future challenges (europa.eu)
