This report is one of three site reports examining responses to County Lines criminal exploitation.
County Lines is a criminal business model which involves the ‘transportation of illegal drugs, by
gangs and organised criminal networks, from one area to another within the UK, using dedicated
mobile telephone lines (National Crime Agency, 2017). The decision to provide a separate report on
HMPPS was the result of evidence uncovered in our early research that a significant amount of Child
Criminal Exploitation emanated from within the Prison Estate and a realisation that there is a paucity of
academic research on this phenomenon to guide policy and practice in this field. Our current findings
suggest there is a clear need to formulate responses which do not underplay or overplay safeguarding
and criminal justice interventions in and beyond the secure estate. The resulting recommendations
detailed in this report seek to:
� Equip HMPPS staff to manage the security risk arising from County lines
� Inform the management of County lines offenders who have the potential to cause the highest
harms
� Identify how County Lines activity emanating from within the Prison Estate might be effectively
disrupted
� Help to reduce harm from illicit drug use in the secure estate
� Build multi-agency resilience and response.