Prison guards now need a shield against drug smuggling – Sentinel and Enterprise

It's bad enough that correctional officers have to be vigilant about their safety from criminal forces inside the prison, but now they also have to be aware of the physical threats that come from outside this closed environment.

No doubt influenced by an incident that hospitalized one of its prison guards, the Massachusetts Department of Corrections has announced an expanded policy to address exposure to potentially dangerous or illegal materials intercepted at state prisons.

The new policy, implemented this month, includes protocols to ensure correctional officers and staff have the knowledge, tools and protection they need to respond effectively and safely to unknown and potentially dangerous substances.

Additional measures, including updated visitor logs, screening of non-privileged mail at certain facilities, K-9s to detect contraband, and an attorney vetting system, will help prevent contraband and unknown substances from entering Massachusetts prisons.

Several facilities will also use drone detection and interception technology to prevent the use of drones to deliver illicit substances near or over a prison.

We hope that all of these preventative measures will ensure that the health scare that a prison guard experienced does not happen again.

Officer John Connelly is still recovering from a traumatic incident that occurred at MCI-Shirley in July when he came into contact with a toxic substance.

Connelly observed an inmate's sock and saw a package – a piece of paper wrapped in a square. Connelly opened it. Believing it was the synthetic drug K2, he quickly closed the matter.

Those few moments of examining the wrapped papers were enough for him to experience a severe negative reaction.

Stained paper has become the preferred method of smuggling drugs into supposedly secure prisons, as a recent incident in Rhode Island shows.

According to prosecutors, a Massachusetts attorney and her alleged co-conspirators smuggled 10 pages of paper laced with synthetic marijuana into the Donald W. Wyatt Federal Detention Center in Central Falls, Rhode Island, during a contact visit in December 2023.

The strength of the residue on the suspected contraband caused the attorney to go into a frenzy when she attempted the delivery, according to the files.

The complaint unsealed in federal court in Providence revealed that the correctional officer who inspected and directly processed the tampered papers had to seek medical attention.

Luckily for this person, he only came into contact with high-quality marijuana.

Officer Connelly wasn't so lucky.

He remembers telling his colleague that he felt weak. “I have no legs. I don’t really feel strong,” he recalled.

“I fell out of it,” Connelly said. “I can’t really remember anything after that…”

When he woke up in the hospital, a doctor told him he would be fine but that it would take time to recover.

“I was feeling pretty bad,” Connelly said, noting he had several seizures.

Recently, three Boston gang members were charged with conspiring to smuggle illegal drugs into a Massachusetts prison.

The DOC says it is seeing a significant increase in the smuggling of synthetic cannabinoids, also known as “K2.”

The following actions include important improvements to the Unknown Substance Response Policy:

• Comprehensive Training: Employees and correctional officers who are most likely to first come into contact with unknown substances (mailroom, visiting room, and intake rooms) undergo specialized training led by a former Massachusetts Department of Fire Services employee and hazardous materials operations expert to handle and Management of unknown substances in facilities.

All correctional officers take part in an online training module. Both training courses focus on protective measures, hazard identification and rapid decontamination processes.

• On-site substance identification tools: DOC has implemented state-of-the-art technology and new preventative testing procedures to quickly identify potentially hazardous substances, facilitate real-time analysis, and ensure appropriate emergency response is taken when necessary.

• Improved Personal Protective Equipment (PPE): The DOC has reviewed and purchased new PPE to ensure the safety of personnel when responding to incidents or investigating the presence of illegal substances. The enhanced procedures provide PPE guidance when conducting searches and discovering potentially hazardous substances.

• Improved containment procedures: The policy includes new protocols for isolating and containing suspected materials to prevent the spread of harmful substances within the facility.

“As Minister of Public Safety and a former correctional officer, I am acutely aware of the dangers our officers face every day,” said Terrence Reidy, Minister of Public Safety and Security.

“The health and well-being of DOC employees and the people in their care is our top priority. These enhanced protocols underscore our commitment to adapt and strengthen safety measures as necessary while ensuring the safety of all DOC facilities,” said Minister of Public Safety and Security Terrence Reidy.

“…As the threat of illicit substances being sequestered in correctional facilities continues nationwide, the DOC found it prudent to review and improve existing policies,” said Interim DOC Commissioner Shawn Jenkins.

“We value the continued collaboration with our partners, including MCOFU and the Legislature, and are committed to continuing our collaboration to address emerging challenges at our facilities.”

Unfortunately, given all the internal and external threats correctional officers face, these precautions have become professional necessities.