My boyfriend is in a federal prison for drug charges. he had a terrible addiction to methanphetamines. several people told me that it is so easy to get drugs in there. i'm so worried because he's been clean for a short while and i'm so scared he might relapse if it's there for him so he can deal with his situation. i don't think he would tell me if he did get high because he's affraid i'll leave him if he goes back to it. How attainable are drugs in prison? how much do they cost? where do they do them and who is giving them. what should i do?! when i mention it, his feelings get hurt because he thinks i have no faith in him that he can be strong. i just know that addiction is not an easy battle, and i have all these questions about using in prison. Please help

I am pretty sure they can get them in any prison, some prisons are easier to get things through than others. The risk involved in obtaining them determines the cost to the end user. I think any kind of drug can be obtained, some guys that go in for drugs won't buy them while they are in, even if they can, pretty much because they don't want a guard to see them all "geeked out" in their cell, or bed, (which would apply more so to the drugs that cause paranoia.) Some common practices would involve having a check sent out from their inmate account to an outsider (like another inmates wife or friend) then they bring it in on a visit. Atleast that is what I have heard.

It's pretty sad when they can even get that crap in prison. People tend to think that because their "loved one" is in prison that they will stay clean. :( All you can do is hope he stays strong.

Izzy

The way I see it is if they want it they can get it. I don't personally have to deal with this because my man has never been involved in drugs, but from what I have heard they are just as easy to get in there as they are out here. My advice to you is to remind him of his addiction and the fact that he has the will power to stay out of it...he just needs to use that power. I would also recommend only providing him with the minimal amount of money as needed.....fyi...my man gets about $30 a month and he survives fine. More is needed but he is fine.....Good Luck!

And in addition to what AEMS said, if down the road, you are finding he is going through alot of money, ask to see an inmate account statement. AEMS is right, they don't need alot of money in there. Maybe he can also send you a commissary price list to give you an idea of what things cost in there.

My boyfriend is a recovering heroin addict who has been home for about 11 months now. I didn't know what to think about drugs in prison when he first went in...I didn't really think they could get them and I figured they would get random drug tests. Well, I was wrong. I know that a girl at the prison my boyfriend was in was busted transporting heroin in, so (obviously) I figured out that it was there.
Thank God he never used- I think alot of that had to do with the fact that he didn't have a TON of time to do.
In regards to money- what others have said is true. I sent money to Robert, but it was never alot (main reason cuz I just didn't have it) and he did send me a commissary list so I could see what things cost.
Pay attention to how much money he goes through like iznam said- that can be a big indicator.
Good luck and if you have any more questions please feel free to ask!

I have heard you can get anything you want for a price. So it is good advice to watch and see how much money he goes thru. That would tell the tale. Just because it is prison does not mean someone somewhere has not figured out a way to get stuff in. Where my husband is they busted a CO and a nurse for trafficking cartons of cigarrettes! I could not imagine working all that time and taking all that schooling to be a nurse and lose everything over cartons of cigarrettes! To each their own. Good luck.

Taken from: http://www.prisoncorruption.com/wst_page6.html (http://www.prisoncorruption.com/wst_page6.html)
(I can't speak to the validity of every statement in here, but it seems to coincide with what I have already learned on this particular topic--Izzy)

DRUGS IN PRISON:
If i told you that it was easier to get your hands on drugs in prison than it is on the streets would you believe me? If i told you that some inmates are supporting there families from behind bars would you believe me? Its a sad fact, but it is also a true fact. Drug dealing in prison is a multi-million dollar industry.




TYPES OF DRUGS AVAILABLE IN PRISONS:

Marijuana:It is the most freely available and common drug used inside prisons. Marijuana is a dry, shredded green/brown mix of flowers, stems, seeds, and leaves of the hemp plant Cannabis sativa. Most commonly smoked like a cigarette. Marijuana can be purchased in prison for about $10 a joint. It is also used as a medium form of trading.

Heroin: Researchers say that the extent of heroin use inside prisons does not match the level of marijuana use. However, it is extremely difficult to determine the level of heroin use through urinalysis. Heroin dissipates from the body within a short period after use. The sale of heroin in prison is an extremely lucrative business. A street gram of heroin purchased for $400 can be resold for triple that amount in prison. Heroin usually appears as a white or brown powder. It is shot up, smoked or sniffed.

Cocaine/Crack: Cocaine is another frequently used drug in prison. It is available in either powder or crystal (crack) form. Cocaine is most commonly snorted, but occasionally smoked. Crack is smoked. Like heroin, cocaine is an extremely lucrative business in prison.

Speed: Speed is a stimulant drug. It is usually swallowed, snorted, smoked or injected. The use of speed in prison isn't as high as the use of crack, heroin, or marijuana due to the side effects of the drug.

Prescription Drugs: Most of the prescription drugs that are smuggled into prison are anti-depressants or pain killers. These drugs can be easily obtained from pharmacies, are cheap, and can be very easily smuggled into prisons. Most of the time, they cannot be detected from urinalysis.

Any and all drugs are available in prisons. Marijuana, Heroin, Cocaine/Crack, Speed, and Prescription drugs tend to be the most commonly used drugs in prison.


How are these drugs smuggled into the prison?

Drugs are smuggled in through a visit usually in a balloon. The balloon is filled with the drugs and then passed to the inmate through a visit. The inmate will then swallow the balloon or insert it in his anus. This is the most common procedure when it comes to smuggling drugs during a visit. With this procedure though, the quantities are usually very small. If a visitor is only able to smuggle in a small amount of drugs at a time, then how are the larger quantity of drugs entering the prison?

Many drugs are believed by investigators to be smuggled in through inmate visitors. Yes, it does happen but inmate visitors are only able to smuggle in a small amount of drugs at a time. Most of the large quantities are almost always are smuggled through prison employees, including sworn correction officers. Unfortunately, most do not want to admit that correction officers do smuggle an extremely large amount of drugs into prisons. That would be admitting that there is a problem, and no one wants to take responsibility for that. It is so much easier to accuse the inmates visitors, then to accuse the sworn correction officers that should really be the ones behind bars. This is such a severe problem, and until we begin to recognize who is the ones doing this, we will not be able to change anything.

I agree with everyone else. My man has told me at visits how easy it is to get drugs of all kinds while on the inside. It's sad, but a true fact. The thing that people don't understand is they think the less money they give their man the less likely they are to be able to get them, but thats not true. If your man has a skill at something, like giving tattoo's for instance, then alot of times they get together with other inmates and trade out drugs for artwork on their bodies and stuff like that. I hate to say it but drugs are probably easier to come by in there then they are on the outside. There are more people out here that smuggle stuff in for their loved ones then people would ever think possible.

Ok I understand drugs coming into the prisons where there are contact visits but what about in county jail where the visits are behind glass? My boyfriend was there for over a year and I know he smoked weed, ciggarates and thats all he admitted to me.

A guy he used to buy his drugs off of prior to incarceration though came in and was in the POD next to him. He paased him a "kite" also known as a jail meesage telling him he had "stuff" for him. They passed notes back and forth and finally one of the guards intercepted the letter. They searched my BF's cell and found nothing but I still wonder. He always spent a lot of money on the canteen but he was buying food and everything seemed legit on the canteen statements I had. Sometimes there were like 2 or 3 candy bars ordered that I know he wouldnt eat but I think he was ordering that for the guy in the cell next to him who had no money or family.

I guess I will never know the truth because Im not going to drill him. He is in a rehab now and working on his recovery and he tells me he has all the time he was in jail clean. He may be going to federal prison though and I do worry when he goes back he will fall back into drugs if they are easily accesible. All I can do is hope he will be strong.