There seems be an endless line of jokes about moonshine’s potency and bad taste on old M*A*S*H reruns. Family lore may point back to a past when moonshine was created by trial, error and recipe during Prohibition, but manufacture of institutional libations is not fiction. Despite its reportedly terrible taste, it is an actively sought commodity in the institutional setting.
How moonshine poses a threat to security
Staff should consider the existence of moonshine as a potential threat to security. Incarcerated entrepreneurs fight to keep operations alive. Customers go to great lengths to acquire the brew.
Moonshine operations do not exist in a vacuum. Many circumstances surround this venture and some of them could turn violent. To me, this is an interesting sort of contraband because it is difficult to transport and to hand off to others. Yet, it remains a popular way for inmates to gain power and to engage in an altered state. After an operation is dismantled, it is interesting to trace its roots and routes of commerce.
Contraband equals power
We much never forget that in a correctional facility, contraband equals power. Because of our mission to keep staff, offenders and prisoners safe, it behooves us to level the playing field by taking illicit goods out of the trading loop. This renders traders as less powerful.
Here are two basic strategies in combating those who vend institutional swill. One of them is to monitor unauthorized containers and enforce rules governing them. The other is to strike at the source.
- Enforcing container rules: Transporting spud juice is not as easy to do as with other controlled substances. The ease of swapping potent meds makes their detention difficult in comparison to trading containers of alcohol. But don’t let that convince you that some prisoners will not risk bringing a drink on the yard. Official containers need not be used in consumption. Shots can be stored in sealed plastic bags in the kitchen, for example. Small milk containers found in some facilities that are filled with oozo can be spirited on the yard to sell. In enforcing container rules, the tactics of watchfulness and listening go a long way in thwarting modern day moonshiners.
- Strike at the source: According to stories, spud juice seems to be made chiefly in kitchens because of so many heat sources. If you cannot find it in the institutional kitchen, consider asking seasoned veterans. They may have stories of covert liquid storage that they have witnessed or have heard in their correctional career. In addition, some offenders – for any variety of reason – may offer information to staff. However, just because a recipe calls for a constant heat source does not mean prisoners will always prepare spud juice in the kitchen. Adept contrabandists will look for any opportunity to start their enterprise in an unobtrusive place.
I like to think of the analogy of pest control when considering moonshine contraband. Finding and eliminating pests is like taking illicit containers out of circulation. That stops an immediate problem right where you find it. However, discovering an infestation at the nest is like discovering the actual source of the makeshift distillery. This strikes directly at the heart of the problem. Both used in concert help remove power from contraband lords.
We may not locate all contraband
It is best that we apply another contraband control law: “Staff should remain realistic.” Staff who believe that we’ll find everything in each and every triumphant sweep are bound to become discouraged. This is not to cast a negative pall on the concept. It is, however, a way to honestly assess the general nature of contraband control. It is no secret that many offenders will always try to cook spud juice or its inebriating cousins under our noses. And while we will not find everything, it is up to us to look, record and eliminate future bootlegging opportunities.
Tell us: Have you ever found prison brew made in your facility? Where was it hidden?
