Garden variety of contraband

There are benefits to be had from prisoners growing a vegetable garden. Through this activity, prisoners learn horticulture, patients, structure, and teamwork. Offenders are given a chance to spend time in a productive manner on a project with tangible results. In addition, the well tended garden provides nutrition and variety to the institutional diet.

Still, vegetation can be harmful to your well being.  This has nothing to do with naturally occurring maladies like irritation from poison ivy. It is all about basic contraband control.  Corrections staff should be aware of the potential dangers in the seemingly innocent garden setting.

Gardens tended by prisoners have at least three possible dangers in them. They are: the garden as a hiding place, a place for subtle signals, and an area to produce stock for spud juice.

Hiding place – Squirrels bury nuts. Dog bury bones. Some prisoners bury contraband. And contraband does not just mean a durable, weather proof contraband. A buried cell phone thoroughly wrapped in plastic could survive the elements and remain useful to any contrabandist.