Horror UK prison with massive drug addiction and soaring suicides but rare hope

EXCLUSIVE: Horror UK prison with massive drug addiction and soaring suicides but rare hopeThe drug epidemic in HMP Barlinnie, Scotland’s largest prison and home to around 1,500 men, is so severe that 80% of inmates are estimated to have a narcotics problemNewsHannah Britt, Senior Reporter Mirror Features08:00, 05 Apr 2026View 6 ImagesJP is one of the 1500 inmates at HMP Barlinnie, Scotland's largest prison(Image: CREDIT LINE:Friel Kean Films)A new BBC documentary is shining a light on the drug epidemic in HMP Barlinnie, Scotland's largest prison. Home to around 1500 men, it's so severe that 80% of inmates are estimated to have a narcotics problem. Opened in 1882, the Glasgow jail - where inmates are serving time for crimes from murder and assault to theft and sexual offences - has held some of the country’s most notorious criminals, including serial killer Peter Manuel, gangster Jimmy Boyle, and Lockerbie bomber Abdelbaset al-Megrahi.‌Severe overcrowding means most prisoners share cells and are fed on just £4 a day. But narcotics are the biggest problem, with staff seeing a dramatic rise in drug use in the last decade, since psychoactive substances known as legal highs started coming in - soaked into paper and smoked in vapes.‌READ MORE: Stephanie Hansen murdered by obsessed flatmate after watching her with secret camerasBarlinnie’s problem is twice as bad as most jails in England and Wales, where a 2025 Government report estimated 39% of prisoners could readily access drugs. Prison governor, Mick Stoney, says: “It’s a constant battle to keep drugs out, [coming in] through visits, throwovers, drones.” Barlinnie’s health and wellbeing manager, Geoff Weaver, adds: “You’ve got the synthetic drugs coming in. The potency is so high and the dose is so low. The risk of overdose then spirals out of control. We’re seeing guys now constantly going out in ambulances because they’re overdosing.”‌View 6 ImagesBarlinnie’s drug problem is twice as bad as most jails...