Drugs & More

The fog just never cleared for him. The corrections officers administered four narcan epi-pens before they got a heartbeat. In the last few years of teaching at the prison overdosing on what they believed to be fentanyl started becoming a weekly occurrence. There was a whole new protocol on handling suspected overdoses. This just added to an already stressful job for the corrections officers, and staff. Being exposed to fentanyl could get one killed. It was now officially in the prison. I was really in the dark about all of the drug trafficking. Crack cocaine, methamphetamines, heroin, cannabis, and home made spud juice(alcohol), were being trafficked throughout the prison when I began employment there. I had heard from time to time about suspected deaths of prisoners by overdose on heroin but not at the rate it was happening now.

I had a training officer tell me he thought the drugs were the administrations way of controlling the prisoners. I didn’t agree with him. I believed drug trafficking was a matter of demand and supply. “Money talks and bullshit walks” is what my father used to say. I believe that holds true here. You give them the money and they’ll bring you the honey. No money-no honey. In this prison there was a definite demand for honey, and no lack of money. The mail room staff had to be careful now opening the prison mail because just coming in contact with fentanyl without protection could be life threatening. Any kind of powder found in a prisoner’s mail by the mail room staff was reason enough for the prison administration to enact an emergency protocol. I just could not believe the amount of people who would mail drugs to the prisoners. The prison administration felt they were well paid mules and the perpetrators believed they could stay anonymous. The state police detectives would eventually hunt them down, and prosecute. Staff were the other drug mules. Everyone who worked in the prison were suspect.

The prisoner they used the four narcan epi-pens on was resuscitated but would overdose at a latter date and was not found alive in his cell. He was on his bed with the covers pulled over him. They suspected his cell mate was involved in drug trafficking, but could not prove anything. An investigation would be forthcoming. I felt sorry for the mail room staff. It seemed white powder also had to be suspected for being anthrax. Just another way for a hit to be carried out and they had to open all the mail to the prison before it was distributed. When ever I thought I was being overworked as a teacher, I thought of our mail room staff, and I felt they had it much harder than I. I could see someone getting pissed off enough to send a “gotta your ass letter.” It was happening in the real world. Nothing would prevent it from happening here. Our mail room staff gave a gallant effort and would try to prevent that from happening here at the prison. I did not envy them. They could be killed in the process of just doing their job and opening the mail. ..Prison Stories to be continued…

“Both Ukraine and Israel face foes with explicitly genocidal intentions, use terrorism, and commit crimes against humanity. Put simply, if Russia wins, Ukrainians disappear. If Hamas wins, Israelis disappear.” Alexander Motyl, and Dennis Soltys November 6, 2023 Haaretz English Edition. I could not have said it better.