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Winnipeg Free Press - PRINT EDITION

Drug trade thrives at Stony, inquest hears

By: Gabrielle Giroday

Posted: 01/29/2010 1:00 AM | Comments: 0 (including replies)

THE prison that houses the province's most dangerous inmates has an active drug trade despite extensive efforts to keep prisoners from getting high behind bars.The prevalence of drugs inside Stony Mountain Penitentiary, and the many ways prison staff try to find the drugs, was revealed during an inquest examining how three 28-year-old prisoners died of methadone overdoses.

The inquest began earlier this month to examine the deaths of Raynold Gerling and Shawn Jones in 2006 and Brian Palmquist in 2007.

All had used methadone, a synthetic narcotic used to treat people addicted to drugs like codeine, heroin or morphine.

Some Stony inmates are part of a prison program that prescribes and supervises their methadone use. However, officials believe some prisoners get the drug by illegally diverting it or by smuggling it into the prison -- with sometimes fatal results.

Daniel Angus, Manitoba Justice's counsel to the inquest, told provincial court Judge Rocky Pollack on Thursday that 80 per cent of the inmates in Stony Mountain are living with addictions.

He said he'd like to see emergency addictions intervention programs for inmates who are clearly using illegal drugs within the institution.

Angus said Palmquist exhibited "extremely risky" behaviour before he fatally overdosed in November 2007 following three prior incidents where prison officials caught him overdosing or using drugs. The death happened on the heels of the deaths of Jones and Gerling.

Angus said Stony security officials need to work with prison health officials to help monitor inmates who are showing signs of drug abuse.

Prisoners also need access to treatment like detoxification programs people on the streets can go to, he said.

"(Prisoners) need to have the same programs available," said Angus.

Pollack said there's been testimony during the proceedings that there's an active drug trade at Stony despite efforts by Correctional Service of Canada staff to control it.

Kirsty Elgert, counsel for the Correctional Service of Canada, said prison officials have used methods like cell searches, strip searches, ion scanners, drug dogs and tip-lines to try and learn how drugs are making their way into the prison. Staff now observe inmates swallowing and digesting their liquid methadone to ensure it's not being diverted, she said.

gabrielle.giroday@freepress.mb.ca

Republished from the Winnipeg Free Press print edition January 29, 2010 A4

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