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Date: April 30, 2024 Tue
Time: 1:49 am
Time: 1:49 am
Results for contraband good
1 results foundAuthor: U.S. Department of Justice, Office of the Inspector General, Evaluation and Inspections Division Title: Review of Federal Bureau of Prisons' Contraband Interdiction Efforts Summary: The Federal Bu reau of Prisons (BOP) faces the persistent problem of contraband smuggling. The introduction of contraband can pose grave dangers to BOP staff and the approximately 200,000 federal inmates in BOP custody, as well as to visitors and the public. The Office of the Inspector General (OIG) conducted this review to examine the BOP's security procedures to interdict contraband. We also interviewed representatives from selected state prison systems regard ing their contraband interdiction strategies and staff search policies and procedures. Contraband is defined in 28 C.F.R. § SOO.l(h) as prohibited materials "which can reasonably be expected to cause physical injury or adversely affect the security, safety, or good order of the institution." Such items include weapons, drugs, currency, tobacco, telephones, and electronic devices. According to BOP data, cell phones were the most common type of contraband recovered from fiscal years (FY) 2012 through 2014. An inmate with a cell phone, particularly a smartphone, can carry out criminal activities undetected, including threatening and intimidating witnesses, victims, and public officials, and coordinate escape attempts. The BOP reports that over 8,700 cell phones were recovered during this period, 2,012 more than the next most common contraband type, weapons. The data shows that while cell phone recoveries decreased slightly during this period, recoveries of other contraband, such as weapons, narcotics, and tobacco, increased significantly. However, as described below, we have concerns about the completeness of the BOP's data. Results in Brief The BOP Does Not Have a Comprehensive Contraband Tracking Capability We found that the BOP lacks a comprehensive contraband tracking system, and current data collection methods impede its ability to effectively track contraband recoveries and analyze contraband trends. The BOP has taken steps to automate data collection on contraband recoveries, such as by implementing TRUINTEL, a data base for entering information associated with inmate investigations, including contraband recoveries. However, BOP staff told us TRUINTEL was not designed to be a comprehensive contraband tracking system. We found that TRUINTEL does not provide a complete picture of contraband recoveries because certain contraband may not be entered and multiple contraband items may be entered as only one item. We also found that automated log books used to document contraband recovered during unit searches are not linked to TRUINTEL. With regard to cell phones, TRUINTEL does not capture all data available through the other methods the BOP uses to track recovered cell phones, including both the BOP's unit log books and its "Cell Phones Recovered" reports. Unlike TRUINTEL, the "Cell Phones Recovered" reports include all phones confiscated, regard less of whether the phones are attributed to an inmate; however, these reports lack details that make duplicative entries in TRUINTEL unidentifiable. The BOP Did Not Effectively Implement Its 2013 Staff Search Policy to Deter Staff Introduction of Contraband In a January 2003 report, the OIG recommended that the BOP revise its staff search policy to require searches of staff and their property when entering institutions. After more than 10 years of negotiation with its union, the BOP implemented a new staff search policy in 2013. However, in June 2015, just prior to the completion of our fieldwork for this review, the Federal Labor Relations Authority ordered the BOP to cease and desist using the 2013 staff search policy following a union challenge to it. 1 The BOP then reinstated the policy on March 28, 2016 with minor changes not relevant to this review. As a result, more than 13 years after our 2003 report, the BOP still has no comprehensive and effective staff search policy. We found significant deficiencies with the 2013 policy and its implementation. The policy provided that all staff and their belongings could be searched randomly or based on reasonable suspicion when entering, reentering, or inside an institution or on its grounds. However, the policy did not prescribe any required frequency for conducting random pat searches, resulting in what we found to be infrequent staff pat searches of varying duration. It also allowed staff to possess and use within institutions items, such as tobacco, that are prohibited for inmates. Additionally, despite the BOP concurring in 2003 with the OIG's recommendation that it restrict the size and content of personal property that staff may bring into institutions, the 2013 policy contained no such restrictions. The policy further permitted staff to return to their vehicles to store contraband that had been identified during front lobby screening procedures, unless doing so would jeopardize the safety, security, or good order of the institution, or public safety. Finally, the policy did not ensure that only trained and supervised staff was assigned to front lobby positions, and we found that at some institutions entry-level Information Receptionists were assigned to these positions. Our research also indicated that the staff search policies governing state prison systems are often more strict in many of these areas. The safety and security of staff and inmates will continue to be at risk until the BOP develops and implements a comprehensive and effective staff search policy. Details: Washington, DC: U.S. Department of Justice, 2016. 85p. Source: Internet Resource: Evaluation and Inspections Division 16-05: Accessed September 21, 2016 at: https://oig.justice.gov/reports/2016/e1605.pdf#page=1 Year: 2016 Country: United States URL: https://oig.justice.gov/reports/2016/e1605.pdf#page=1 Shelf Number: 145579 Keywords: Contraband GoodFederal Bureau of PrisonsPrison ContrabandSmuggling of Goods |