A former prisoner said he refused to go back to his cell because the smell of spice was “making his sick”
HMP Altcourse(Image: Andrew Teebay)
A former Altcourse prisoner said the smell of spice inside cells is so strong it made him feel sick. The ECHO revealed last weekend that officers were battling the growing threat of “spice attacks” at the category B privately-operated prison, with “attacks on staff and other prisoners” fuelled by drugs a daily occurrence.
A source at the prison said spice had “always been the drug of choice for the prisoners” but there had been a recent influx with staff “simply being unable to control it”. The source, an experienced prison officer whose identity the ECHO is protecting, said ambulances were being called to Altcourse every day.
A former inmate at the prison has now told the ECHO that so many people were using the drug at the prison that he told the guards: “I’m not going back in the cell because I’m breathing spice and felt sick.” The ex-prisoner, who served a number of weeks at Altcourse before his release in May this year, alleged he saw people collapsing “on a daily basis through ketamine and spice”.
The ex-con, who asked to not be named, added: “I must have seen this happen 50 to 100 times.” He continued: “There’s more drugs in there than out here. I see a lot of people come out drug addicts…I’m lucky I’m strong-minded and hate drugs.
“I had to be okay to make sure my two lads are looked after, but I can really see how these prisons are turning out hundreds of men every day with more problems than when they got sent down. If you’re vulnerable or a drug user in jail, game over. People should at least be able to be somewhere not full of spice smoke.”
The former prisoner’s account of life inside Altcourse tallies with the concerns of two serving officers. One told the ECHO that “four ambulances went out due to the amount of spice attacks” on just one day this month.
The officer, whose identity the ECHO is protecting, told us the prison had “lost all security” and the drugs were being brought into the prison because “hardly anything is coming over the wall”.
The North West Ambulance Service (NWAS) confirmed to the ECHO it had received “numerous” calls to the prison, but declined to confirm the reasons. HMP Altcourse said its records showed that ambulance assistance at the prison was called for on three, not four occasions. The prison also said that it was not aware of any formal concerns raised by staff.
A spokesperson for HMP Altcourse said: “The safety and wellbeing of both staff and prisoners is our top priority and we deploy a range of tactics designed to tackle any drug-related issues when identified, working closely with healthcare partners.
“The conveyance of drugs in any prison is illegal, and our staff work tirelessly to stop prohibited items from being introduced to the prison.”
HMP Altcourse, Liverpool(Image: Liverpool Echo)
A second prison officer source at the prison told the ECHO that drugs inside the facility were threatening the safety of both the staff and other inmates. They said: “Spice is a real issue at the prison at the moment. It’s regularly being smuggled in and prisoners have no issue getting their hands on it.”
Spice is the street name for a mixture of lab-made drugs known as synthetic cannabinoids. Originally designed to mimic the effects of cannabis, they are much stronger which can make them considerably more dangerous and unpredictable.
The drug, which was only outlawed in 2016, is highly prevalent in Liverpool due to its cheap price tag. It’s historically been easy to smuggle into the prison estate due to the fact its scentless, so is difficult to detect.
Letters, cards and books can also be sprayed with liquid spice and then left to dry. Spice, which became known as the “zombie drug”, can cause severe negative effects including anxiety, psychotic episodes and semi-consciousness.
Altcourse is a category B prison which holds up to 1,164 male prisoners who have either been convicted or are on remand. The prison is currently run by Sodexo, who took over management of the prison in June 2023 from G4S.
The most recent inspection at the prison was in 2021 when it was still operated by G4S. This means it’s difficult to know how successful the prison’s current response to drug supply and use is.
In the most recent published report, inspectors found security arrangements were proportionate and aligned to the key threats of drugs and mobile phones. Inspectors also found mandatory drug testing was in place and yielded a 19% positive test rate, which was recognised as high.