GUARDS SAY PRISONS RIFE WITH DRUGS

'Dangerous Environment'

Federal jail guards are calling for tighter drug enforcement in
prisons after a record haul at a Manitoba penitentiary and nine
seizures at Edmonton Institution.

Guards at Edmonton Institution intercepted drugs coming into the Max
nine times, valued at $44,000, last year and the union representing
guards says the presence of drugs in jails makes for a dangerous
environment.

"There's a whole host of manipulation and violence that goes along
with drugs," said Union of Canadian Correctional Officers Prairie
region president Kevin Grabowsky.

He said guards who step in to break up a dispute put themselves in
danger.

The largest seizure last year at the Max occurred Aug. 31 when a drug
dog stopped a visitor, said Correctional Service of Canada spokesman
Jeff Campbell.

That seizure included 11 grams of marijuana, 100 grams of dilaudids,
36 grams of opiates and 37 grams of amphetamines.

Staff at Stony Mountain Institution, a medium-security jail, seized 75
illegal drug shipments with an institutional value of more than
$248,000 in 2006, said CSC.

"That's about 60 per cent," said Grabowsky. "If you're closing the
front door, there's always the back door."

Grabowsky called on CSC to toughen policies for visitors to
jails.

Drug dogs and a high-tech patch, which reveals whether visitors have
had contact with drugs, can single out drug mules, said Grabowsky.

If caught, violators are interviewed and may still be allowed a visit
with an inmate, he said.

Campbell said guards conduct a "threat-risk assessment" on visitors -
before deciding whether to allow them inside.

Grabowsky said guards should be able to prevent anyone caught with
traces of drugs on them from visiting.

In a press release, CSC said it is "committed to a zero tolerance
policy that uses a combination of screening techniques for visitors
and dynamic security provided by correctional officers."