DRUG SEIZURES DOWN AT MEN'S PRISON

The amount of drugs seized in a Maple Ridge men's prison has decreased
following changes made after an inmate died of an overdose in 2008.

There were only two seizures of cocaine in 2009 at the Fraser Regional
Correctional Centre on 256th Street, compared to four in 2008,

Heroin seizures increased slightly to three in 2009 over two in
2008.

The most dramatic drop involves marijuana, with 39 incidents recorded
in 2009, compared to 58 in 2008.

There is no upward trend in the presence of narcotics in Fraser
regional, said B.C. Corrections spokesperson Marnie Mayhew, but in
fact a downward trend.

There have also been no drug overdoses at the provincial prison since
Kyle Wigham, a 20-year-old inmate, was found dead in his cell.

Coroner Vincent Stancato found Wigham died from a heroin overdose and
classified his March 14, 2008 death as "accidental," although he noted
that staff did not follow the standard operating procedure of checking
inmates every 30-60 minutes.

Wigham was serving a nine months in jail for robbing a Chilliwack
7-Eleven store.

Despite the recommendations of a drug counsellor, it was Wigham's
mother Pat who turned him over to the judicial system, hoping that he
would get help for his cocaine addiction.

But as predicted by the drug counsellor, Wigham instead found prison
an easy place to score drugs and he was introduced to heroin, which
proved to be fatal when combined with marijuana.

After Wigham was discovered dead in his cell, staff found a pipe
fashioned from a pen in a garbage can, as well as a flap with
oxycodone in his cell mate's pillowcase, several empty flaps and
cut-off fingers from latex gloves, which are commonly used to
transport drugs around the jail.

B.C. Corrections implemented several changes following an internal
critical incident review after Wigham's death. The changes focused on
limiting opportunities for drugs to get into the prison and include
increased vehicle checks as well as cell inspections.

Mayhew said the prison does not have the legal authority to conduct
body cavity searches.

"We can't completely eliminate the risk," she added.

But Mayhew believes the increased checks are making it harder for
drugs to get into the prison.

"That's a reasonable conclusion to draw," she said.

"Obviously, we have a population in all of our centres that consists
of a large percentage of people who are addicted. It is something we
have to constantly be vigilant about. It is an ongoing focus for us."