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| Drug Flow Curbed At Prison |
| By The Caledonian-Record |
| Published: 09/29/2003 |
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In response to two drug-related deaths of prison inmates, the Vermont Department of Corrections is cracking down on contraband. At the Northeast Regional Correctional Facility Tuesday evening, a new department program aimed at sharply curbing the flow of drugs into corrections facilities statewide kicked off. During visiting hours, four Corrections Emergency Response Team members helped local facility staff monitor the visitation process. The 25-member team is made up of specially trained corrections employees and is generally in place for civil unrest, natural disasters and inmate behavioral problems, according to Lawrence McLiverty, director of security for the Department of Corrections. "We're working with Department of Corrections and the governor to stop the flow of drugs in correctional settings," said CERT team leader Robert Berthiaume. Since July 1, the department has looked to crack down on the inmate drug problem. McLiverty said it's a reaction to the drug-related deaths of a Northern State Correctional Facility inmate and a Dale Correctional Facility inmate. Tuesday evening CERT members monitored the parking lot, helped attend to checking visitors into the facility and monitored the actual visits. According to facility Superintendent Celeste Girrell, monitoring the parking lot is important for information gathering purposes. License plate numbers and arrival and departure times are part of the information being taken by an officer in the lot. That information, she said, could lead to the discovery of rings of people delivering drugs to inmates. It's important, McLiverty said, to watch for unusual attempts at drug delivery like throwing packages over the fence or dropping packages on the grounds. "We've had a lot of creative attempts to get drugs into correctional facilities," he said. Another member assisted in the front lobby of the facility helping to check visitors in. Each inmate is only allowed five visitors which have to be registered on a specific list, Girrell said. Officers screen packages and check footwear, a new practice, she added. According to Girrell, the extra set of eyes monitoring the visitation room is important. Visitation happens Monday through Thursday evenings with one unit of inmates having visitors at a time. On that shift, Girrell said, there's 10 officers, and only one officer covering as many as 40 or 50 visitors. "It's difficult to supervise for contraband," she said. "As many pairs of eyes as we can have is a good thing." Berthiaume was one of the CERT members to work the facility Tuesday evening. He said while the team is ready for any type of event, the night was fairly quiet. Berthiaume believes the added presence of the CERT team members is an additional deterrent for drug trafficking visitors. Girrell said while it's a serious issue, it is hard to gauge the severity of the problem in the facility. She did say officers are finding more life-threatening opiate drugs. Also more often, drugs are being found in larger quantities in packages brought by visitors. "In the past it's been softer drugs like pot," she said. "It makes us very concerned." |
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