Economics is a pervasive and potent force. There is a wide range of emotions connected to supply and demand. Wars have been fought over the exchange of goods. Perhaps this is as old as humanity itself. But the fact remains that we are governed by how we acquire goods.
For quite some time, the United States has been moving from an industrial economy to a service economy. And though the service industry is very real, the products that they produce are less tangible than manufactured goods.
Let’s apply this to the illicit inside economy of a prison. Read more…
joebouchard Contraband Control, Security
When the International Association of Correctional Training Personnel held its annual conference in Tempe, Arizona, I was quite excited. It was my second trip to the South-west and my family was coming along. We could get in some sight-seeing before the conference started.
We went to a botanical garden. And the beauty of nature was on our minds. However, beauty does not always mean innocuous.
My wife had a case of arachnophobia just thinking of the lord of all spiders, the tarantula – indigenous to Arizona. Read more…
joebouchard Contraband Control
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It is inevitable. Nothing, it is said, stays the same. As any corrections professional knows, prisoner work assignments can be quite temporary. There are many reasons that prisoners will be moved from any given job assignment, including shifting institutional needs, prisoner transfers, and inmate requests for reclassification.
Termination also is another catalyst for change of job status. This occurs for a variety of causes. For example, prisoners caught smuggling while on assignment may be relieved of their duties.
In a broad sense, to smuggle is to move unauthorized goods in an illicit and stealthy manner. In corrections, there are four basic flows of bootleg traffic: Read more…
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joebouchard Contraband Control
“You have a twisted mind. But, that is a good thing.” That is not some cheesy line from a Cheesy 1980’s B-movie. It is a vocational truism. And it is the basis of this icebreaker.
A good way to jump start a module on security awareness is to give the following introduction. Read more…
joebouchard Contraband Control, Training
The existence of contraband represents danger for all staff and prisoners in all facilities. This is the root of most corrections peril. The introduction of illicit goods in our institution facilitates escapes, compromises staff, and lowers morale to a dangerously low level. The existence of contraband also shatters the public’s perception of security.
This is how the problem of contraband impacts us all. There are so many problems that a contraband tracking committee could follow and help to mitigate. Read more…
joebouchard Contraband Control
Despite the popular notion, contraband control is much more complex than officers serendipitously intercepting bootleg. At its most optimal state, it is a multileveled process of discovering the value and routing of illicit items. And, alert staff often discover surprising but pragmatic utilities of most common possessions. Read more…
joebouchard Contraband Control
Finding a specific contraband item in any facility can be difficult. As a matter of fact, it is not unlike finding a specific tree in a forest. Often, we are sometimes faced with the task of locating a very specialized, elusive item.
Quick! Without thinking, name a contraband item. What did you say? Shank? Tattoo gun? Betting slips? Whatever your answer, it probably was blurted out rapidly. Like word association, ideas come quickly. Quite simply, everyone can describe a tangible example of contraband when asked. Read more…
joebouchard Contraband Control
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Speeding, in the eyes of the law, is speeding. If the 55 miles per hour speed limit is exceeded, it is against the law. Someone who travels at 56 mph is, technically, in the same category as those who violate at a much higher speed. They are just as guilty of breaking the law.
So, does 56 mph really equal 70 mph? The answer is “yes” and “no.” An officer’s discretion more readily allows for a warning to the former but a ticket for the latter. Conditions may also warrant flexibility in enforcement, and fines may vary according to the intensity of the infraction.
Often, we judge posted speed limits as wrong. Many times we justify that conditions permit us to push beyond the maximum. We can, after all, control speed with safety, despite the posted limit. But, should our own perception of safety be the last word in enforcement of any kind? Read more…
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joebouchard Contraband Control
I felt like someone from a primitive village looking at a flash light for the first time. I was stupefied, slack-jawed and awash with utter incomprehension. I was mesmerized by the new concept. It was like seeing a wheel for the very first time. I did not invent it, and I did not fully understand it. But the 100 watt bulb over my head illuminated as I slowly understood.
Read more…
joebouchard Contraband Control
Bill looked at me with a totally serious expression. “For this to happen, you have to think like a weed.” He was addressing the immaculate state of his lush lawn. His grass was a vision of perfection – a veritable green shag carpet, living, breathing, awe-inspiring and growing. It was bereft of weeds and looked too real to be real. While I understand that weeds do not think, Bill meant that he attacked the weaknesses of those plants balanced against grass growing agents.
Weeding out contraband from our facilities is more than the ascetics of lawn care. The element of safety is inherent in the exercise. Of course, every bit of contraband removed from circulation levels the playing field.
Read more…
joebouchard Contraband Control
