One of the main issues in the prison systems is the availability of drugs and alcohol to the prisoners, which can make it difficult for a prisoner to end their addiction. Prisoners that are already struggling with substance abuse issues will often find themselves using these substances again in correctional institution, either due to a need to escape from their present situation or the fact that they simply cannot resist their addiction any longer. Everything from hard liquor to heroin can usually be found within the confines of the facility, and it has proven extremely difficult to completely eradicate the entry of illegal substances for a variety of reasons.
Guards Smuggle The Drugs In
While it has usually been highly publicized, correctional officers are actually not the most common method for bringing substances into a correctional setting. Correctional officers have quite a lot to lose by smuggling substances in and not a lot to gain. Since prisoners cannot pay these officers, the correctional officers would have to rely on a third party for payment. The correctional officers would be opening themselves up to investigation for a fairly small gain, and they could be caught at any time. Correctional officers do bring illegal substances into the facility, but it isn't the foremost delivery method and they often stop before they are caught.
The Substances are Physically Deposited
As noted by
BBC UK, one of the most common methods of drug delivery is simply to throw it into the facility. While this might at first seem improbable, the majority of prisons throughout the nation and throughout the U.S. have large courtyards that are simply fenced in with a simple wire fence. This is true for everything from a small jail to a federal penitentiary. This means that a drug dealer can, in fact, simply walk up to the courtyard and throw a payload over the fence. At this point one of the prisoners will just stroll by and pick it up. The only method by which this can be avoided is through intense scrutiny by the watching correctional officers.
Trucks Can Bring in the Goods The Daily Beast revealed that contraband items can also be potentially smuggled in through the use of trucks such as food delivery trucks. This method is used to bring in everything from cigarettes to weapons, and operates through the kitchen staff and food delivery vehicles. For larger quantities of contraband, this is the most popular and easiest method of delivery.