In May 2018 the 大象传媒 Shared Data Unit one smuggled mobile phone or SIM card had been seized for every six inmates in English and Welsh jails in 2017.
We compared figures for the period 2010-2014 and 2017 from ministers' answers to written questions in Parliament, Freedom of Information requests to prison services in Scotland and Northern Ireland and published prison population figures.
Our analysis revealed the number of seizures in England and Wales increased from 9,600 in 2014 to at least 15,000 last year, a 56% rise.
The rate of finds across prisons in England and Wales doubled from an average of nine discoveries for every 100 prisoners in 2011, to at least 18 per 100 prisoners in 2017 (the equivalent of one in six).
The Shared Data Unit makes data journalism available to news organisations across the media industry, as part of a partnership between the 大象传媒 and the News Media Association. Stories generated by the partnership included:
- Leicester Mercury: 17 May 2018
- The Scotsman: 17 May 2018
- ITV Wales: 17 May 2018
- Hull Daily Mail: 17 May 2018
- Liverpool Echo: 17 May 2018
- Yorkshire Evening Post: 17 May 2018
- Nottingham Post: 17 May 2018
- Derby Telegraph: 17 May 2018
- Gloucestershire Live: 17 May 2018
- 2BR Lancashire: 17 May 2018
- Spirit FM: 17 May 2018
- Scotland: Evening Express: 17 May 2018
- Wigan Today: 17 May 2018
- The News: 17 May 2018
- Chronicle Live: 17 May 2018
- News Post Leader: 17 May 2018
- The Lincolnite: 17 May 2018
- The Star: 17 May 2018
- The Times & Star: 17 May 2018
- Morpeth Herald: 17 May 2018
- Sunderland Echo: 17 May 2018
- Northumberland Gazette: 17 May 2018
- Northamptonshire Telegraph: 18 May 2018
- The Bucks Herald: 18 May 2018
- The Gazette: 18 May 2018
- DnG24: 21 May 2018
- This story was also used by 大象传媒 Radio London, Midlands Today, North West Today, 大象传媒 Radio Wales, 大象传媒 Radio Cornwall, 大象传媒 Newcastle, 大象传媒 Radio Lincolnshire, 大象传媒 Radio Solent, 大象传媒 Guernsey, 大象传媒 Radio Nottingham, 大象传媒 Radio Manchester, 大象传媒 Radio Shropshire, 大象传媒 Coventry & Warwickshire, 大象传媒 Hereford & Worcester