The prison ombudsman has launched an investigation after the unnamed inmate died last week
HMP Altcourse is privately run by Sodexo(Image: Andrew Teebay)
An inmate at HMP Altcourse has died as prison staff struggle to deal with a “bad batch of spice”. Sources at the privately-operated prison told the ECHO that the prisoner died on Wednesday, August 13 and have alleged he died “as a result of the spice”.
The Prisons and Probation Ombudsman (PPO) confirmed to the ECHO that it was aware of the death. Ombudsman Adrian Usher said: “My office is conducting an independent investigation into the death of a prisoner at HMP Altcourse.” The PPO has not confirmed the cause of death and will publish a report of their findings in the coming months.
A spokesperson for HMP Altcourse told the ECHO: “We can confirm that a prisoner sadly passed away at HMP Altcourse on 13 August. The next of kin have been informed and our thoughts are with the prisoner’s family. All deaths in custody are investigated by the independent Prisons and Probation Ombudsman, and therefore we are unable to comment further at this stage.”
The ECHO was first made aware of the death by a trusted source at the prison who for weeks has spoken to us anonymously about the ongoing battle staff face with spice. The source previously alleged that 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”.
Speaking this week about the death, the officer alleged the prisoner “died straight away in custody”. They added that staff believe there’s a “bad batch of spice” in the prison and officers and alleged officers are responding to numerous “code blues” each day.
A “code blue” traditionally signifies a medical emergency, typically indicating someone is experiencing a life-threatening incident. A former inmate at the prison told the ECHO last week that he saw people collapsing “on a daily basis through ketamine and spice”.
The prisoner, who was released from Altcourse in May this year, said: “I must have seen this happen 50 to 100 times.” The ex-con added: “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 North West Ambulance Service (NWAS) has previously confirmed to the ECHO it had received “numerous” calls to the prison, but declined to confirm the reasons.
Our source at the prison said: “The death has not stopped the lads in here from continuing to take spice. Like I said it was a matter of time before somebody died.” The same source alleged staff are concerned about their own welfare with drug-related assaults on officers and other prisoners common.
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.”
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 it’s 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.