March
23, 2017
W.Va.
cracking down on inmate contraband
CHARLESTON,
W.Va. – To thwart the ever-present and constantly evolving
threat posed by contraband smuggling, West Virginia’s regional jail system has
revamped its inmate mail policy and the state’s prison system is poised to
follow suit.
Inmates in West Virginia’s 10 regional
jails now receive photocopies of all mail from family, friends and businesses. The
originals are shredded. Any photos in such “non-privileged” mail are also
photocopied, with the originals kept with the inmate’s personal belongings
pending release.
These revised policies respond to numerous
attempts to smuggle contraband, and specifically various forms of synthetic
drugs, by coating it on mailings. This potential route for smuggling is
considerable: the regional jail system alone received and screened 300,000
pieces of mail last year.
“We are going to continue the fight to
stop the drugs from coming in. This is just Phase One,” said Regional Jail
Director David Farmer. “(Military Affairs and Public Safety) Secretary Sandy
has made it clear that this is not to be tolerated.”
The Division of Corrections is developing
a plan to implement a similar policy at its 16 prison and work-release
facilities statewide starting next month. The Regional Jail and Correctional
Facility Authority’s policy became effective March 6.
“In every state where I keep in touch with
the deputy directors, they are experiencing the same problem,” said Deputy
Corrections Commissioner Mike Coleman. “It just varies by region of the country
what the drug of choice is. It’s a problem for the U.S. Bureau of Prisons as
well.”
West Virginia’s Division of Juvenile
Services has also adopted a photocopying process, as of March 1, for all
resident mail at its 10 detention and commitment facilities. All three agencies
involved in this crackdown are part of the Department of Military Affairs and
Public Safety.
“Illegal substance use in prisons not only
erodes institutional authority and control, but it also severely undermines the
public’s confidence in the criminal justice system,” said Secretary Jeff Sandy.
“Eliminating the problem helps ensure trust in the system and the safety of all
who work and reside within the correctional environment.”
The state’s correctional agencies
continuously assess their policies to address emerging forms of contraband and
smuggling attempts. The regional jails, for instance, previously stopped
allowing contact visitations after catching inmates receiving contraband hidden
in an infant’s diaper and while receiving a kiss, among numerous other
incidents.
While a national problem, inmate
contraband in West Virginia reflects the struggle in communities throughout the
state with substance abuse. Of the more than 44,000 inmates booked into a
regional jail last year, for instance, nearly 19,000 had to be placed on a
detoxification or withdrawal program. That means that 43 percent of West
Virginia’s jail inmate brought a substance abuse problem in with them.
West Virginia’s correctional agencies also
continue to attack substance abuse through treatment and recovery services for
offenders seeking to return to lawful and productive lives.
The prison system has nine Residential
Substance Abuse Treatment (RSAT) units offering six-month to one-year inpatient
treatment programs. Two RSATs, one for males and the other for females, debuted
last year for Corrections-sentenced inmates at the Southwestern Regional Jail
in Logan County. There are a total of 551 treatment beds, and their programs’
completion rate is 61 percent.
Through Justice Reinvestment, West
Virginia has also committed millions of dollars to fund community-based
treatment and recovery services, both residential and outpatient, for offenders
returning to society via parole, probation or other forms of supervised
release.
Juvenile Services provides substance abuse
therapy as well, through its medical services contract, while 12-step-type
programs are available in the prisons and jails. Corrections is also participating
in a pilot program overseen by the Department of Health and Human Resources
that provides exiting inmates with Vivitrol, also known naltrexone, which
blocks the effects of opioid medication. The regional jails plans to join this
pilot program.
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