How Can Illegal Drugs Be Prevented From Entering Prison?

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How Can Illegal Drugs Be Prevented From Entering Prison?

The American prison system has many different interpretations. Some people think it is a place for rehabilitation. Others may feel it is solely a punishment for making bad decisions, and there are those who see it as a method of revenge. Regardless of how the prison system is viewed, one element that may be a shock to everyone is the use of illegal drugs by the inmates. There are also a surprising number of unpublicized deaths among the inmate population due to drug overdoses that could have been prevented. The public deserves answers to the following questions:

1. How are illegal drugs infiltrating the prisons?

2. How are inmates creating their own substances?

3. What is being done to prevent drugs from coming in to prisons?

Answering these questions will provide a bigger picture of the ongoing and growing problem of substance abuse within the prison system, and the knowledge to discuss potential solutions. Although inmates are housed in prisons for crimes against society, it is law enforcement’s responsibility to ensure their safety and that the illegal temptations of the outside world do not breach the prison walls.

How Are Illegal Drugs Infiltrating the Prisons?

Prisons are designed primarily to keep people inside, and less focus is placed on what is coming in. Regardless of the emphasis, the expectation of a facility that has full control over the population should be a drug free environment. However, drugs and other illegal contraband find their way inside undetected.

There are many ways illegal drugs are introduced into the prison population. The article (How Common Are Drugs in Prison?, 2011) refers to friends or relatives of an inmate who bring in drugs a...

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...far gone that they are beyond hope? In the current turbulent state of the world, and the anemic economy, there is no relief in sight for our crumbling prison system. It is important to understand that degrading prison conditions, combined with gang drug activity, overcrowding and violance go hand in hand. The worse the conditions, the greater the violance. Bill Arrigo notes, “Measures of poor conditions, such as inadequate prison management and lack of prison programs due to overcrowding, are associated with hight levels of prison violence” (Arrigo, 2006, p.116) .

In conclusion, it is going to take a firm commitment and a lot of money to exercise the demons out of our prison system. However, more than that, it is going to take a commitment to the inmates, and the realization that the way we treat our prisoners is a direct reflection on our society as a whole.

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