PRISON GUARDS WORK HARD TO KEEP CONTRABAND OUT

THE EDITOR:

Re: 'White may be on to something,' Times Editorial, Jan. 9.

I want to assure your readers that the Correctional Service of Canada
wages a constant battle against the entry of illicit drugs into its
institutions and against the use of drugs and alcohol by inmates.

Our staff members employ a variety of tools, including special drug
scanners at institutional entrances, drug dogs and their own specific
training in conducting searches to prevent drugs and other contraband
from being smuggled inside the fences. I should emphasize that our
staff members succeed at stopping a large amount from getting past the
gatehouse entrance.

However, as is the case at our borders and in other parts of our
society, it is practically impossible to stop the flow of drugs
completely into our institutions despite our best efforts.

Our institutional staff is also ever vigilant to the brewing of
alcohol, often made by inmates with any type of material they can hide
such as fruit or fruit peels, bread, ketchup and small amounts of
sugar. Staff often discover these "brews" before inmates consume them.

As you state also in your editorial, any object can be fashioned into
a makeshift weapon and institutional staff members search inmates and
their cells frequently to find and confiscate contraband items
including weapons and drugs. When a warden concludes that a more
thorough search is required, an institution is locked down to allow a
complete search of the institution by staff.

We are never complacent in these matters, contrary to statements made
in your editorial. Anyone who visits an institution would know that.

We also acknowledge that some contraband is brought into federal
institutions through visits from the community, although the
percentage of visitors involved in these activities is small.

However, it is important to note that visitors keep offenders in touch
with the outside community.

Our research has demonstrated consistently that offenders who maintain
ties to the community re-offend much less when they are released than
offenders who have no community contacts.

Our priority is to protect the public and, as part of that objective,
it is essential that we work to help offenders move safely back into
the community so that they do not create new victims. The visits they
receive, while they are incarcerated, from family, friends and
volunteers are a major component of successful reintegration back to
the community.

H. L. Bergen,

acting regional deputy commissioner,

Pacific Regional Headquarters,

Correctional Service of Canada