'Payments' for prison cold turkey
The prisoners claim their human rights were violated
Six prisoners and former inmates who say they were forced to stop taking drugs by the "cold turkey" method are expected to get out-of-court payments.
The test case over claims human rights were breached and the practice amounted to assault is due to take place.
Some claimants were said to have been receiving alternative treatment before coming under the responsibility of the Prison Service in England and Wales.
Shadow home secretary David Davis said a "disastrous" precedent could be set.
A Home Office spokeswoman said it was inappropriate to comment on the case while the litigation was still ongoing.
'Sharp detoxification'
The High Court proceedings focused on six test cases chosen from a total pool of 198 claimants.
The claimants were bringing the action based on trespass, because they say they did not consent to the treatment, and for alleged clinical negligence.
Their barrister Richard Hermer told an earlier hearing in May: "Many of the prisoners were receiving methadone treatment before they entered prison and were upset at the short period of treatment using opiates they encountered in jail.
"Imposing the short, sharp detoxification is the issue."
Mr Davis said: "Presumably the Government does not want to be embarrassed by losing such a case under its own human rights legislation.
"Drugs are a scourge on society and completely undermine all our other efforts to fight crime. By doing this Mr Reid would be letting down the taxpayer, the victims of these offenders and the drug addicts themselves."
Prison Reform Trust director Juliet Lyon said the case could see courts "pause for thought" before using jail terms as a way of making sure an offender receives treatment.
"Our overcrowded jails are awash with petty, persistent offenders who commit crime to feed their drug habit," she said.
But the Department of Health said a programme, supplemented by the Home Office, to increase drug treatment for prisoners, allowed inmates to fight their addiction before their release into the community.
A spokeswoman said there had been no cuts to funding.
Hell....handcart....doomed...etc.
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