By Joe Bouchard
Editor’s note: This is the first of a series of five excerpts from Corrections1 contributor Joe Bouchard’s book “Wake Up and Smell the Contraband: A Guide to Improving Prison Safety.”
One can easily compile a list of contraband items. Contraband could be almost anything: tobacco, stamps, food, pornography, weapons (prison made or otherwise), drugs, gambling paraphernalia, etc.
But, there is a range of principles that apply to all categories of bootleg. Regardless of what the item is, all laws generally apply, from the innocent pencil eraser to a prison made zip gun.
These are the first 5 of the 25 laws of contraband.
Contraband builds empires
Prisoners with common sense, stamina, and a little initiative can rise up quickly through the unofficial inmate hierarchy of power through barter. Contraband can make movers and shakers of anyone.
Everything is for sale
For example, apple cores can make a useful addition for someone who intends to produce spud juice. A piece of tissue paper blotted with lipstick can be lucrative to someone who finds a buyer. Information such as Social Security Numbers, credit card numbers, and personal data can be very coveted for someone who wishes to manipulate staff. Everything is for sale.
Contraband equals power
It allows anyone to purchase the services of others. Someone who is physically weak, with the help of contraband, can acquire protection. That makes anyone potentially formidable. In corrections, we know not to judge the book by its cover. A small, seemingly weak offender may be packing an array of weapons that we cannot imagine. Favors owed by connections can tilt the balance of power to the least likely individual. Self-preservation is quite important in this equation.
Small trades are often connected to huge enterprises
Discovery of a few betting slips can actually be the tip of the iceberg for a multi-facility, lucrative gambling ring. That which is seemingly innocent, frequently IS NOT. This is not to say that everything is connected. However many things are connected, especially in a closed society such as a correctional institution.
The benefits of illegal contraband outweigh the risks
Some inmates would rather risk a major misconduct for dangerous contraband than face an assault on the yard from another prisoner. Most offenders know the consequences. In addition, most offenders know what rewards can be gained for risking the consequences.
For more information on this, please consult the following, chapter 2 in particular: Bouchard, Joseph. “Wake up and smell the contraband: A Guide to Improving Prison Safety” (2nd edition) Horsham, PA: LRP Publications, 2005. Click here to purchase the book.
