PRISON DRUGS INTERCEPTED

MORE than 600 people were caught with drugs in NSW jails last year,
new figures show.The Corrective Services Department has revealed that
drugs were found on 257 inmates while searches also caught 233
visitors and 119 periodic detainees.

Corrective Services Commissioner Dr Leo Keliher told a parliamentary
committee last week that prisoners and their friends in the outside
had devised elaborate schemes to smuggle drugs into jails.

"We have in fact found LSD tablets stuck behind stamps being mailed
into jail," Dr Keliher said. "People have Christmas and birthday cards
sent to them containing heroin."

Searches and drug tests last year uncovered almost 2kg of cannabis,
145g of heroin, 67g of amphetamines, three steroid vials and 760
prescribed tablets inside the State's prisons. Also found were 547
syringes and 384 "other" drug implements.

State-wide prison visiting bans were imposed on 235 people who were
involved with trying to bring drugs into jails.

Dr Keliher said at least 70 per cent of NSW's inmates were doing time
for alcohol-or drug-related crime.

He said the department's anti-drug measures included searching jail
visitors, using drug dog detector teams, intelligence gathering, video
monitoring, urine testing and offering health and education programs.

But incoming Opposition corrective services spokesman Andrew
Humpherson called for a tougher prisons anti-drug regime.

Mr Humpherson said all inmates should be subjected to compulsory
quarterly drug tests and offences should be considered in parole
applications.

Prisoners caught in possession of drugs should also lose their
privileges instead of being put through "lifestyle programs", Mr
Humpherson said.

"The problem of drugs in prison has reached epidemic proportions and,
while we know how many people are being caught, others clearly have
access to drugs but are not caught," he said.

"The Government's methods of preventing drugs getting into jail are
clearly failing.

"Urine tests should be compulsory, at least quarterly, for every
prisoner. Where they test positive, they should be thoroughly tested
on a weekly basis until they are clean."

Dr Keliher revealed that just five per cent of the prison population
underwent urine drug tests a month.

At that rate, Mr Humpherson said some prisoners could potentially get
away with using drugs for years before they were caught.