FLOW OF ILLEGAL DRUGS INTO JAILS RISING - AUDIT

Interdiction Strategy Draws Criticism

The importation of illegal drugs into Canadian jails has increased
over the past five years despite several new efforts to curb the flow,
an internal government audit shows.

While there were about 850 drug seizures in federal institutions
during the 2001-02 fiscal year, that number climbed to 1,100 in 2003
and dropped slightly to approximately 1,050 last year.

This, despite the introduction of Ion Mobility Spectrometry devices
(which can detect if people have been handling drugs) at all
institutions, detector dogs and the renewal of the federal
government's National Drug Strategy in 2003.

While the audit notes "general compliance" with interdiction
strategies, it adds "given the National Drug Strategy indicated that
(the Correctional Service of Canada) 'will not tolerate drug or
alcohol use or the trafficking of drugs,' there is a need for
improvement."

The partially censored report shows most of the drug seizures were
from inmates' cells and the balance taking place in other areas within
federal institutions. Twenty-seven per cent of inmates selected for
random drug testing either refused to provide a urine sample or failed
the screening.

The statistics show "despite the CSC's extensive drug-interdiction
activities, illicit drugs are still entering institutions," the audit
concludes.

The audit of the correctional service's interdiction strategy is
critical of many areas, including the department's management of
"human sources" of information about drug activity inside
institutions.

"These human sources may be invaluable for preventing drugs entering
into institutions," the audit says, adding "a number of security
intelligence officers have expressed a need for a policy to provide
firm guidelines on the use and management of human sources."

Direction was found to be lacking in processes for handling of
sources, processes for filing and sharing information and consistency
between CSC and other law-enforcement agencies.

Auditors also expressed concern with a potential weak link in the
interdiction strategy - screening of jail staffers.