Contraband in Prison

Electronic monitoring is a device that allows Justice Officers and officials to ensure an offender is at a certain location when 65 required to be there. The use of the monitoring device is becoming more popular as a way to control and supervise offenders within the community to ensure citizens are safe. In the mid-1960 a Harvard Psychologist Robert Schwitzgebel developed the first electronic monitoring device. The device was intended to provide an inexpensive alternative for offenders than incarceration or within the justice process. Even though the device was patented in 1969 it didn’t start coming into effect until the 1980’s. It’s used by courts to track the location of offenders that are under surveillance or restricted to certain areas.

The United States has the largest prison population in the world and it is only growing. Both in raw numbers and by percentage of the population, the United States has the most prisoners of any developed country in the world and encompasses the largest total prison population of any nation (“The United States has the Largest Prison Population”, 2014). After several years in which the prison population dropped slightly, the raw number of inmates in the United States increased in 2013. More than 1.57 million inmates were behind bars in federal, state, and county prisons and jails around the country (“The United States has the Largest Prison Population”, 2014). In the federal prisons, more than half of those sentenced to a year or longer are incarcerated for drug

Over the course of the semester there have been many instances in which shows that new technology advances have proven to be nothing but beneficial for law enforcement. In an article written by Ron Sloan, Robert

When contemplating the flow of contraband into a correctional facility, there are numerous avenues to consider when attempting to diminish this concern. For instance, correctional officers may search inmate cells, oversee personal visits, and utilize informants to reduce the introduction of contraband into facilities (Bohm, & Haley, 2014). While it is true that inmates create their own contraband inside facilities, and that contraband passed to them via acquaintances how are inmates able to receive contraband while in facilities? Well, personal introduction via visitations, trustee details, reception of mail, usage of cell phones and illegal actions of correction officers.

For this reason, it may not come as a surprise that surveys prove drugs in prison is highly common. The Washington Times (2010) reported that “Roughly 1,000 ‘drug incidents’- seizures of marijuana, heroin, and other drugs- are reported annually at California prisons” (“Drugs Inside Prison Walls”, 2010). This same article raises the question: “how do drugs enter the prison when the prisoners are searched upon arrival?”. Sadly, the Washington Times claims that corrupt officers have played a major role in the rise of drugs in prison (“Drugs Inside Prison Walls”, 2010). In fact, Richard Pillajo, who worked for a Florida state prison, was caught smuggling cocaine and other pills to sell to inmates (“Drugs Inside Prison Walls”, 2010). These findings point to the possibility that inmates may want to return to prison because it is easier to get ahold of drugs. In fact, in 2016 Adam Lusher, journalist for the Independent UK, investigated exactly how accessible drugs are in certain prisons; the title speaks for itself: “The prison where it is ‘easier to get drugs than bedsheets’ (Lusher, 2016). The Chief Inspector of Prisons, Peter Clarke, stated “The stark reality is that prisoners told us it was easier to get illegal drugs in the prion than it was to get clothes or sheets” (Lusher, 2016). These findings are lead us to believe that many prisons across the world are

There is a constant struggle in corrections to balance the safety of the public and achieve rehabilitation of criminal offenders. The greatest threat to maintaining this balance is the overcrowding of prisons. In 2011, the United States Supreme Court ruled that massive overcrowding of California prisons violates its prisoner’s eighth amendment right protecting them from cruel and unusual punishment (Boylan, 2015, p. 558). At the time California’s correctional institutions were at double their capacity, housing over 155, 500 prisoners in only 33 institutions (Specter, 2010, p. 194). The overcrowding of correctional facilities is one of the biggest problems facing corrections policy makers in the United States. The overcrowding of prisons is

As the human race advances more towards the future, we are able to discover more about our past and better preserve our people and culture. Multiple technological advances allow different researchers and explorers to excavate our past and predict the environmental future. The different types of technology include an underwater "mailbox system", Dropsonde Hurricane Sensors, and the Light Detection and Ranging technique (LIDAR). In addition, the most advanced technology these "hunters" have access to today is the Ground Penetrating Radar (GPR) technology. GPR is the most advanced technology because of it's increased efficency and versitality when exploring ruins and searching for artifacts.

Even a simple product, such as the telephones that inmates use to keep in touch with their families have become a tool for correctional facilities to prevent crime within the facility. In one instance, information obtained from a telephone conversations led to a facility catching a staff member who was bringing in contraband.

As people walk down the gentle streets of their neighborhoods, sometimes they are blind to the fact that others like them, are locked away for years. Crimes involving the distribution of illegal substances, run rampant throughout the streets of the United States. These offences on many levels, are considered non-violent. Yet, these so-called “crimes”, land people in prison for long periods of time and often the sentences are more intense than the crime itself. Has nobody thought about putting an end to their suffering, and giving them the freedom they so rightfully deserve? Nothing major has been done to combat this ever-growing problem. Attempts made by convicts to explain their case are quickly dismissed, as they are often considered mentally

Today manufactures have produced computers, tablets that are light weight, efficient and reliable. Traffic is no longer halted as it usually is for a traffic ticket, police officers can print citations from a portable device in seconds after entering the civilians information. The law enforcement has benefited from the advanced communication system, they are currently using. State and local law enforcement use portable multiband conventional radios and satellite radios to communicate with one another. In addition, personal locators a new technology associated with portable radios is needed, such as a “man down” alarm and two-way communications with a user without using the push-to-talk button. NIJ program is exploring the need for consistent and improved in-building radio coverage, use of handheld radio equipment, and methods of improving performance of portable radio equipment within large commercial and public buildings. Personal locator technology may also be able to visually display a location in 3-D to accurately depict, for example, the position of a user by floor and room inside a multilevel

Technology is an important asset in the fight against crime and provides law enforcement with powerful tools to continue prevent future crimes. The correctional system relies on an increase demand for technology rather than relying on traditional methods of security and control. One of those the technologies is the video enhancement to maintain security in the detention facility. Technology in secure institutions provides innovations that offer substantial savings in staffing and operations costs. Another type of technology is under-vehicle surveillance system that records the license plate and the underside of any vehicle entering the secure perimeter of the prison.

Prisoners can obtain a variety of items at the prison commissary. The commissary is basically a warehouse of goods that are approved for inmate possession. Prisoners get a list of all the items and their prices and on the day they are allowed to go to the commissary they fill it out for the items they

While suspects are getting smarter by using more technical and advance ways of committing their crimes. Law enforcement has tried to keep up and even get one step in front of the criminals by finding more advanced technology. This paper will show just some of the new technology that law enforcement has started using in helping capture criminals. It will also show some of the technology that has come out to track the criminals that have been caught in the past. As the criminals come out with new ways to commit crimes law enforcement must keep up with their tactics.

Lastly, the individual should follow up on the report if they find any further information or clues that might help. Often times the item is not found and the individuals’ incurrence will cover it. If the item stolen is around $1000 or less, it will be considered a misdemeanor and the thief will be charged with a fine or less than a year in jail; however, if the item is something much larger the thief will be charged with a felony and will be faced with a much greater penalty including jail

The war on drugs is a never ending viscous cycle. The United States of America spends more than fifty one billion dollars annually on drug related issues (Drug Policy). Sending someone to a prison for drug possession is irrational. Instead of going to prison, the convicted felon should be sent to a rehabilitation center to get help to fight their addiction. This would be cheaper and more effective towards solving the ongoing drug problem in the United States of America. After a series of daily drug tests done over a period of time, the workers can determine if the convict is ready to be released from the rehabilitation center. Their sentence length would be based on their recovery process. The premise would be the faster you recover, the sooner you could get out. Should people be sent to prison for drug possession charges?