Fury Over Drug Use In Prisons

Edge80

Edge80

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FURY OVER DRUG USE IN PRISONS

Dec 30 2004
Daily Record

SCOTS Tories yesterday called for a zero tolerance policy on drugs in prisons.

The call came after the Scottish Prison Service's own survey showed that 76 per cent of prisoners who used drugs claimed that mandatory testing had not affected their habits.

The survey also found that three quarters of cons entering Scottish jails are found to have drugs in their system and just over half claimed to have used illegal drugs while behind bars.

Among those who admitted using drugs, 78 per cent had taken cannabis, 63 per cent heroin, more than a third had used tranquillisers and 14 per cent cocaine.

And almost one in five admitted still using drugs even in drug-free areas in prison.

The figures produced an angry response from the Scottish Tories who demanded that the Executive should admit their policies were failing and introduce zero tolerance in all prisons.

Justice spokesman Annabel Goldie said: 'As 2004 ends, we can see little hope for Scotland's prisons given these statistics.'

And she added: 'The people of Scotland will justifiably wonder how we can possibly tackle the scourge of drugs in society, when this Executive cannot even control them in prisons.'

Last night, an Executive spokesman said: 'We take very seriously the problem of drugs misuse wherever it occurs, including prisons.

'Drugs are a serious and complex problem in our communities.

'That doesn't excuse it, but the Scottish Prison Service - who are responsible for delivering drug testing and treatment programmes - are committed to dealing effectively with the problem.'







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And she added: 'The people of Scotland will justifiably wonder how we can possibly tackle the scourge of drugs in society, when this Executive cannot even control them in prisons.'
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Exactly, we can't even keep drugs out of prisons, or international airports. Places which surely have about the most intense security possible or practical, and yet they think bringing metal detectors and drug dogs into schools, or prosecuting club owners for NOT stopping drug use on their premises, is a good idea!

Surely, the fact that we can't keep drugs out of the most secure public places suggests that this brute-force prohibition approach isn't working, not that we should try even harder to reach this unattainable goal of zero tolerance.

It's amazing how prohibitionists can essentially make the exact same statements we make but ignore the obvious implications. Perhaps the quote above in isolation could be taken either way, but there's so much other evidence of prohibition's shortcomings, which would surely be plain to see for anyone working in that field, if they weren't completely brainwashed.

Dan
 
Edge80 said:
And almost one in five admitted still using drugs even in drug-free areas in prison.
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Does that mean there are certain areas in scottish prisons where you are allowed to use illegal substances?
 
how can you have a zero-tolerance policy in a prison? In schools, where the zero-tolerance policy is most prevalent, this means that if caught with drugs, you are expelled, but I highly doubt that they're gonna kick a con out of jail for drug use, so please tell me, how the fuck is zero-tolerance in a prison supposed to work?
 
^^ Obviously they cannot expell you from prison ;) But they could extend your sentence, cut your parole, put you in solitary or whatever other punishment they have in a prison.
 
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