DOPE, NOT CONS, OVER THE WALL

Cocaine, Pot Flung Over Fence, into Yard Z Lights, Cameras May Cut
Down on Action

IT'S not inmates going over the wall that's causing a problem at Stony
Mountain Institution.

It's the drugs.

Several attempts by people to toss cocaine and marijuana over the
outer perimeter fence and into the exercise yard have been foiled by
prison staff in recent months.

Just over two weeks ago, a 17-year-old boy tried it and got
caught.

He's now facing two counts of trafficking. "These guys are being very
brazen, and, unfortunately, they put a lot on the line to do this,"
Linda Garwood-Filbert, Stony Mountain's acting assistant warden, said
yesterday.

"By catching people, we're sending a message that if you get caught
you will be prosecuted."

The prison is unique, because, unlike other institutions across the
country, it is situated within a small rural community with homes,
businesses and recreational facilities around it.

Garwood-Filbert said the spot most frequently targetted by "tossers"
is the wall on the prison's east side.

Several private homes line the area, which was once called the
penitentiary reserve and used to house prison guards.

Garwood-Filbert said a plan is in full swing to tackle the problem of
individuals sneaking through private yards to launch illicit
substances over the prison fence.

"We've focused our strategy on intercepting these throwovers on a
number of levels," she said. "...training our staff, partnering with
the RCMP and holding community forums. This is a total community effort."

Garwood-Filbert said there are more RCMP and prison vehicles
patrolling the community, more surveillance cameras have been added
and there are plans to improve lighting. A community hotline has also
been developed for residents to call if they see suspicious
individuals or vehicles in the community.

The prison also relies on anonymous tips that drugs may be coming
in.

"Typically, we'll get information that there may be activity on a
particular evening, so we are more diligent," she said.

Garwood-Filbert said gang activity has increased the drug trade within
the prison walls.

"It's a black-market trade, and it puts our inmates at risk," she
said.