Joe Bouchard is a retired corrections veteran and writer with 25 years of experience. How we react to contraband will set the stage for the safety of staff, offenders, and he public. If one gargantuan problem looms, we have to adapt strategies to vanquish it. If 100 little problems manifest, we need to address them. In the end, we realize that we cannot choose our problems. No matter the size or scope of the problem, contraband should not be ignored. In all cases, they are dangerous or potentially dangerous. They may not always be large and obvious. Continue the campaign.Ĭontraband beasts come in all shapes and sizes.

Do not relax vigilance when some contraband is uncovered.

Vary your search pattern and rounds as possible.

Document what you find, who was involved, where and when the transaction took place.

Do not let small observations go unreported Here are some general ways to combat many little contraband problems or one large challenge to safety: Yet, some common strategies can be employed. In both cases, recognizing the scope of the problem is key in maintain safety in our facilities. The demand is high and the contrabandist is rewarded for production. And the problem is not likely to go away with just a few exchanges of good and services. This is obviously more dangerous than the nuisance contraband described above. He has paid others to act as diversions to thwart discovery by staff. The contrabandist has many well paid eyes and ears as defense. This prisoner has supplied the highest bidder with metal and plastic blades. One horse-sized pug – This can be represented by one prolific weapons manufacturer. Still, the contraband that you stop and remove from the system may have otherwise grown into a bigger problem. Time and many locations are limiting factors for staff. Realistically there are only so many tiny contraband schemes that one can hinder. Small problems, even if there are many, need to be addressed. It is like the fast growing weed that is not pulled until a shovel is needed. Yet, continued trade can weed out less cautious vendors and spawn an oligarchy of contrabandist who eventually specialize in more dangerous fare. Is this dangerous? Perhaps small items that are not obviously perilious can be dismissed. If you catch one, many others gallop away. These traders are not connected together and are often chaotic. There are numerous trading and sales of betting slips, candy, and medication. This can be superimposed on contraband control.ġ00 pug-sized horses – One can think of this as a multitude of seemingly insignificant exchanges of bootleg. How does one corral 100 miniature horses? Which particular horse does one target to maximize control? Do all tiny horses need to be subdued or merely swept from view? But the thought of one hundred of them brings its unique set of problems. A single horseling would be no problem to control. Then I thought of 100 horses at about 20 pounds each.

How could one tackle that colossal beast, arguably the largest terrestrial carnivore today? I imagined the normally sedentary pug as a one ton carnivore, imposing because of its size. Yet, it seems that the chief issue is would you rather tackle one large and visible problem or many tiny problems? But the unusual images pulled me away from that stream of thought. “Would you rather fight 100 pug-sized horses or one horse-sized pug?”Īt the time, my mind was rather occupied with a particular contraband control issue.

A friend of mine frequently asks me questions that are odd and interesting. This article was originally published on in August 2014.Įveryone knows someone who has a knack for provoking thought.

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