8/19/2023 0 Comments Police contraband in prison![]() A Prison Policy Initiative review of news stories from 2018 concluded that “almost all” contraband introduced into local jails comes through staff. In fact, jail and prison staff may be responsible for the lion’s share of contraband found inside the fences. ![]() And perhaps more importantly, by focusing on interfering with prisoners’ ability to associate with the free world as a method of controlling contraband, prison officials are ignoring a significant source of illegal goods inside American jails and prisons: guards and staff. But significant interference with prisoners’ rights is a blunt response to a problem that is much more nuanced than prison authorities like to suggest. They are also replacing in-person visitation with video visitation, but that also-conveniently-monetizes prisoner communication, since the vendors who are “approved” are often those also willing to give a kickback in exchange for the monopoly right to exploit the prisoners.Īdministrators argue that these restrictions on prisoners’ interactions with the outside world are necessary to stem the tide of incoming contraband. Local sheriffs and state DOCs have begun to limit the kind of mail prisoners may receive, as well as restrict the vendors who provide books to prisoners. Interdiction efforts vary, but primarily they target prisoners and their contacts in the community. Prison officials in South Carolina and across the country recognize that cellphones, drugs and other contraband are a risk to security. “These folks are fighting over real money,” Stirling said. In a press conference immediately following the riot, state Department of Corrections (DOC) head Bryan Stirling said that the riot was over territory, cellphones and contraband. Seven prisoners were killed and 17 injured during the hours-long melee. ![]() Take the April 2018 riot at South Carolina’s Lee Correctional Institution. Sometimes disputes arise between rival gangs, which can lead to bloodshed. In the more violent maximum-security lockups, gangs control the movement of most contraband items. Inside a prison, control of the drug and cellphone trade is serious business. Both items are valuable on the prison market, with cellphones going for upwards of $1,000 a pop, according to an NBC News report. The two largest contraband problems facing prison authorities today are synthetic marijuana, also known as K2, and cellphones. Fast food, heroin, marijuana-you name it, and it’s been smuggled into a prison. From the smallest county jails to state prisons holding thousands of prisoners, the nation’s correctional system is overrun with illegal goods of every variety. Share: Share on Twitter Share on Facebook Share on G+ Share with emailĪmerica’s jails and prisons have a serious contraband problem.
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