Are prison officers drug tested? What is and is not published

In shortThere is no public HMPPS staff drug testing policy for England and Wales, and no confirmation either way.

Officers and applicants often ask whether prison staff are drug tested, usually after hearing a rumour about 'random tests' at a particular establishment.

We searched for a public HMPPS policy on testing staff for drugs or alcohol, including the gov.uk policy framework and Prison Service Instruction indexes and general web searches. The searches returned material on prisoner testing and on other jurisdictions, but no published England and Wales staff testing policy.

In shortMandatory drug testing is a prisoner regime and tells you nothing about the rules for staff.

Most search results for 'prison drug testing' are about prisoners. Mandatory drug testing (MDT) is a regime in which prisoners are tested at random and on suspicion, with adjudications and sanctions for positive results. It has its own instruction and is governed by prison rules.

It tells you nothing about the rules for staff, and results of MDT in a prison say nothing about staff.

In shortConveying prohibited items is corruption (always gross misconduct) and a criminal offence under the Prison Act 1952.

The Counter Corruption and Reporting Wrongdoing framework (re-issued 10 May 2022) lists conveying prohibited items among its examples of corruption, alongside several other examples. Corruption is always gross misconduct for HMPPS staff, and failing to report suspected corruption may itself be a disciplinary matter and sometimes a criminal offence.

Prison Act 1952 s.40B

Unauthorised conveyance of List A articles; up to ten years' imprisonment.

Prison Act 1952 s.40C

List B articles, with up to two years on indictment, and List C articles, with a fine.

Prison Act 1952 s.40D

Unauthorised photography and recording, transmitting from inside, and possessing restricted documents or specified electronic devices such as mobile phones; up to two years on indictment. Defences include a reasonable belief that you had authorisation or an overriding public interest.

Misconduct in public office

Maximum of life imprisonment; also commonly charged in staff prosecution cases.

• Aiding escape
• Inappropriately facilitating movement
• Inappropriate relationships
• Disclosing restricted information
• Accepting bribes or favours
• Theft

In shortInstead of testing, the published framework emphasises searching, and a deliberate pattern of failing to search can be corrupt behaviour.

Instead of testing, the published Counter Corruption framework emphasises searching. It requires staff searching arrangements to be set out in each establishment's Local Security Strategy and describes routine, random and intelligence-led searches.

The framework still cites an older searching instruction, and the current Searching Policy Framework was updated on 31 March 2026, so the detail you follow is the current framework and your Local Security Strategy.

• X-ray body scanners are used in some adult male prisons, according to the policy framework listing updated on 15 October 2025.
• A consistent failure or poor performance of searches, where intelligence suggests the failure is deliberate, can constitute corrupt behaviour. Honest mistakes and performance issues are treated differently from deliberate failure.
• Being searched is a condition of working in a prison.

In shortOff-duty drug use is dealt with through the criminal law, vetting, conduct and exclusion, not a workplace test.

If you use or possess illegal drugs outside work and are caught, the consequences are triggered by the criminal law, not by a workplace test.

Vetting policy (PSI 07/2014)

Requires all criminal offences, cautions, reprimands and fixed penalties to be declared on application and on renewal; failing to disclose is likely to mean refusal with no leave to reapply for 12 months. Annex F says criminal charges, warnings and convictions must be reported during employment, and involvement in criminal activity is itself a reportable change.

Exclusion from Working for HMPPS Policy Framework

Counts any behaviour that leads to a criminal caution or prosecution 'whether work related or not' as relevant to safety, security and trust, and lists violent or threatening behaviour at any time.

In shortNo published England and Wales rule on alcohol, medication or fitness for duty was found; Scotland's code is shown only as an illustration.

The published England and Wales documents we could open do not set out a rule on alcohol, prescribed medication or fitness for duty, and the staff attendance policy PSI 18/2010 was cancelled in September 2024 and replaced by an intranet-only Supporting Attendance policy whose content we could not verify.

Under general health and safety law, employers have a duty to manage risks to employees and others, which is why many employers have their own drug and alcohol policies. We cannot tell you what HMPPS's current text says.

In shortAsk your HR team in writing, and ask for the document rather than a verbal summary.

The best answer will come from your own HR team, because the rule for your grade, contract and establishment is what counts. Ask in writing, and ask for the document rather than a verbal summary. Keep the reply and the date.

1. Check your contract, offer letter and induction pack for references to drug or alcohol testing, fitness for work, or searching.
2. Ask HR or your line manager whether there is a staff drug and alcohol policy, and for the reference and date of the current version.
3. Ask your POA branch whether there is a local or national agreement on testing, and whether any member has been asked to take a test.
4. Ask the Local Counter Corruption Manager or security department for the local searching arrangements that apply to staff.
5. If you cannot get an answer internally, make a Freedom of Information request to the Ministry of Justice for the current HMPPS policy on testing staff for drugs or alcohol, naming the date range you want. Public bodies normally have 20 working days to respond.
6. If you are asked to take a test and no policy has been shown to you, ask for it before consenting and take POA advice.

In shortSeek support before a problem becomes a conduct issue; if accused, take advice immediately.

Nothing in this guide is medical advice.