BABIES ARE DRUG MULES FOR INMATES: UNION

Prison Guard in Hot Water for Reporting Abby Incident

Babies are being used to smuggle street drugs into federal prisons,
including Matsqui Institution, says the union representing
correctional officers.

Now an Abbotsford guard may face discipline after he reported
concerns about the safety of two babies.

Corrections officials say the officer, Terry Leger, breached inmate
privacy rights when he made the report in November, said Gord
Robertson, president of the B.C. region of the Union of Canadian
Correction Officers.

"CSC basically said the privacy of the inmate trumps the well-being
of the child," said Robertson.

The union held a press conference Thursday to highlight the use of
infants as 'drug mules,' and to push for greater controls over drug movement.

Robertson said the CSC has inconsistent standards regarding searches.
While medium-security Matsqui Institution does swab visitors,
including infants, maximum-security Kent Institution in Agassiz
doesn't test children.

Leger learned last fall that babies' clothes were testing positive to
an ion drug scan. One visitor tested positive to a variety of drugs
eight times last year, for morphine, heroin, cocaine and marijuana
residues, but was still allowed to visit three times.

The clothes on the infant twice tested positive for cocaine and
amphetamines. Leger learned that a baby stroller belonging to another
inmate visitor showed cocaine residue on Nov.11. He reported his
concerns to MCF. His thoughts were for the children, he said.

"Any kid who's around this stuff is in serious danger," Leger said.

Soon after, Leger was told he would face a disciplinary
investigation. Later, he was told the CSC would carry out a 'fact
finding' investigation. To Leger, it's the same thing.

"Anything shared in the fact finding could result in a disciplinary
action," he said, adding the threat of discipline makes him think
twice about doing it again.

"But would I? Yes, I would. The right of the child is greater than
CSC," he said.

Leger says he has come across two more incidents where babies tested
positive for drug residues, and passed the information on to the
warden's office, but has not reported them to MCF himself.

Robertson did note the CSC's Roadmap to Strengthening Public Safety
recommends more stringent control on visits, more dog drug detention
teams, more thorough searches, and closer ties with police and Crown
counsel offices to ensure people smuggling drugs into prisons are penalized.

Some institutions and wardens are trying to be proactive, said Robertson.

Matsqui Institution for example, is looking at installing large nets
to stop people throwing drugs and cellphones over the fences.

Local CSC officials were not available for comment.

Instead, Ministry of Public Safety Stockwell Day's office sent an
e-mail, saying he wrote to CSC Commissioner Keith Coutler asking him
to make drug deterrence a priority, and to ensure that the use of
children to bring drugs into prisons is not inadvertently encouraged
by CSC policy.