Prison hooch now costs more than premium Champagne after crackdown measures

Sep 19, 2023

Jail home brew doubled in price in a year, the Chief Inspector of Prisons said. Cons make the drink from fruit, sugar and yeast, brewing up to five litres per container

Prison hooch is now dearer than premium Champagne after a crackdown sent prices soaring.

Security measures including sniffer dogs have pushed the average price to £80 a litre, while Moet & Chandon Brut Imperial costs £57 a litre in supermarkets.

Jail home brew doubled in price in a year, the Chief Inspector of Prisons said.

An inspector's report into HMP Gartree in Leicestershire said: "The prison's dedicated search team used a body scanner and search dogs efficiently in response to intelligence-led search requests. Staff estimated that 200 litres were discovered each month, with a value in prison of about £80 per litre."

Cons make the drink from fruit, sugar and yeast, brewing up to five litres per container. Left for up to five months, it can hit 40% ABV. Inmates buy the liquor with cash from jobs like cleaning or sorting library books for up to £25 a week.

A source added: "Hooch has become a major problem. It leads to disorder and needs to be stamped out."

Ministry of Justice data shows alcohol finds inside jails jumped from 1,368 in 2015/16 to 8,703 in 2021/22.

A Prison Service spokesman said: "Thanks to hardworking staff and our £100million security crackdown, we are finding and stopping more contraband than ever before."

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