Drugs rife in Barwon Prison
DRUGS are infiltrating Barwon Prison at an alarming rate despite corrections staff cracking down on illegal substances.
Five of the state’s prisons — including Lara’s Barwon and Marngoneet — are failing to meet drug rate targets.
According to June Corrections Victoria figures, almost one-in-four Barwon detainees targeted with urine testing had illicit drugs in their system, while almost one-in-10 failed random drug tests.
Officers doubled the number of tests in July — from 64 in June up to 130 — in an effort to catch users and abusers.
Behind Barwon’s walls, 252 positive drug tests have been identified through urine analysis in the year to date.
Buprenorphine — used in opiate addiction therapy — was the most commonly detected substance, followed by amphetamines.
South Barwon MP Andrew Katos lambasted the State Government’s handling of prisons.
“This shows the corrections system is out of control under Daniel Andrews,” Mr Katos said. “We should be seeing reductions in these figures, not increases.
“The more prisoners are under the influence of drugs, the higher the probability they will do something wrong.”
The Victorian Community and Public Sector Union, who represent prison workers, says more testing and surveillance is required around visits and transfers.
However, it did not draw a correlation between a prevalence of drug use and violence.
“Assaults on officers are mostly related to overcrowding and increasing tensions as a result among the prison population,” CPSU’s Julian Kennelly said.
In June, 37 detections were made inside Barwon Prison.
Corrections Victoria says the figures were a result of solid intelligence gathering and quick responses by staff.
“Prison intelligence allows staff to identify those suspected of illicit drug use and catch them with targeted drug tests,” a spokesman said.
“A small number of prisoners and visitors go to great lengths to smuggle drugs.
“Prisoners who test positive or who are caught with contraband face tough management measures.”