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.