When the Wall Wins: A Failed Drug Toss Exposes the Prison-Industrial Complex

On a July afternoon in 2025, a man stood topless outside HMP Hull in East Yorkshire, hurling a black package at a brick wall. Three times he threw it. Three times it bounced back. On the fourth attempt, the parcel sailed over, landing inside the prison grounds. A guard saw it immediately. The drugs never reached their intended destination, but the incident raises uncomfortable questions about who profits from the carceral system and why prohibitionist policies keep failing the most vulnerable.

Joshua Smith, 30, of no fixed abode, was sentenced to three years and eight months at Hull Crown Court on August 24, 2025, after pleading guilty to two counts of throwing a prohibited article into a prison. The package contained an estimated £12,000 worth of Class A and B drugs, alongside a mobile phone. CCTV footage shows Smith, shirtless, making repeated attempts before finally succeeding, only to be intercepted moments later by prison staff.

Detective Constable Heather Butler, who led the investigation, framed the case as a straightforward victory.

“Thankfully on this occasion the package was found almost instantly and never reached its intended destination, however these drugs could have had catastrophic consequences and facilitating drugs entering a prison is a criminal offence,”

she said in a statement. She urged the public to report suspicious behaviour via non-emergency number 101 or anonymously through Crimestoppers.

What does this incident reveal about drug policy and systemic failure?

While the state frames Smith as a lone criminal, an intersectional analysis demands we ask deeper questions. Why do drugs keep flowing into prisons despite walls, guards, and surveillance? The answer lies not in individual moral failing but in the structural violence of prohibitionist policies that criminalise addiction rather than treat it. Prisons, as abolitionist scholars have long argued, are not neutral institutions; they are sites where systemic oppression is reproduced, often targeting BIPOC, neurodivergent, and economically marginalised communities who bear the brunt of the war on drugs.

Smith, described as having no fixed abode, embodies the precarity that drives people into the informal economy. His actions, while illegal, must be understood within a broader context of housing insecurity, mental health neglect, and the absence of harm reduction services. The prison-industrial complex thrives on such failures, converting human suffering into profit for private contractors and punitive state apparatuses.

How do prisons perpetuate cycles of harm?

The three-year sentence handed to Smith reflects a carceral logic that prioritises punishment over rehabilitation. Research consistently shows that imprisonment does not deter drug-related offences; it merely displaces them, often exacerbating addiction and recidivism. The presence of a mobile phone in the package also highlights the desperate need for communication and connection among incarcerated people, a need that the state systematically denies.

Detective Constable Butler’s assertion that “this behaviour will not be tolerated” echoes a punitive discourse that refuses to engage with root causes. Meanwhile, the prison service continues to operate as a closed system, opaque to public scrutiny, where violence, neglect, and drug use remain endemic. The real scandal is not Smith’s failed throw but the institutional indifference that allows such conditions to persist.

What would a justice-centred approach look like?

An abolitionist framework offers an alternative: decriminalise drug use, invest in community-based health services, and dismantle the punitive structures that criminalise poverty. Harm reduction programmes, safe consumption sites, and accessible mental health support would do more to prevent drugs entering prisons than any wall ever could. The voices of those most impacted, including incarcerated people and their families, must be centred in these conversations, not the police or prison authorities.

As the CCTV footage circulates, it invites mockery of Smith’s failed attempts. But laughter is a deflection. The system that produced this moment is the true absurdity: a multi-billion-pound carceral apparatus that fails to protect, rehabilitate, or heal, while criminalising the most vulnerable among us. Solidarity with those inside and outside the walls means demanding more than better walls. It means demanding a world where prisons are no longer the default answer to social problems.

Frequently asked questions

What happened in the HMP Hull drug throw incident?

Joshua Smith, 30, attempted to throw a package containing £12,000 of Class A and B drugs and a mobile phone over the wall of HMP Hull on July 11, 2025. CCTV shows him failing three times before succeeding on the fourth throw. A prison guard spotted the parcel immediately, and Smith was later arrested and sentenced to three years and eight months in prison.

Why do drugs keep entering prisons despite security measures?

Drugs continue to enter prisons because prohibitionist policies and punitive approaches fail to address root causes such as addiction, poverty, and lack of mental health support. The carceral system prioritises punishment over harm reduction, creating a cycle that persists despite walls, guards, and surveillance.

What is the abolitionist perspective on this case?

Abolitionists argue that this case exemplifies the failure of the prison-industrial complex. Instead of punishing individuals like Smith, a justice-centred approach would decriminalise drugs, invest in community health services, and dismantle punitive structures that criminalise marginalised communities. The focus should shift from containment to care.

How can communities respond to drug-related incidents in prisons?

Communities can advocate for harm reduction policies, support organisations working with incarcerated people, and push for transparency in prison conditions. Reporting suspicious behaviour to authorities, as Detective Constable Butler suggests, is one option, but systemic change requires challenging the very institutions that perpetuate these cycles.

Photo: Daily Star