DRUG USE BEHIND BARS

Re: Getting High In The Big House, editorial, Jan. 11.

Drug use in federal prisons is indeed rampant. In the course of doing
research for an upcoming book on Canadian street gangs, I was told by
guards that in some institutions more than 80% of inmates consume
drugs. Every illicit drug available on the street is also available in
prison, making a mockery of Correctional Service Canada's zero
tolerance drug policy.

It's an oversimplification to blame guards. Every week, hundreds of
people enter and exit prison facilities, all of whom could import
drugs. Drugs have even been known to be transported over prison walls
inside tennis balls and dead birds.

While inmates would agree that drugs help them manage the boredom of
doing time, few guards would agree with Prof. Scot Wortley that drug
use "brings peace and tranquillity." Guards know drugs give inmates a
powerful currency that can be traded for protection and privilege.
They know that drugs destabilize a prison and generate violent gang
rivalries. And since prison drugs can cost five times the street
price, guards know that drugs ferment other in-prison criminal
activities, like prostitution and extortion, because inmates must find
ways to pay for their drugs. It is folly to believe that guards are a
legitimate source of drugs. Only a rogue guard would purposely worsen
an already hazardous workplace.

The balance of power within prisons has steadily shifted from guards
to inmates. Guards who lean too heavily on drug-dealing inmates may
find themselves the subject of a complaint from rights emboldened cons
and managers who want to "keep the peace." If we wish to deal with the
prison drug problem, and make good on the notion of rehabilitation, we
require prison reform that balances the rights of inmates with the
powers of corrections officers.

Michael C. Chettleburgh, Toronto.