Migratory patterns: Tracking how contraband travels in a facility
How we can gain a considerable upper hand by considering how contraband moves
As most tenured corrections professionals know, almost anything that can be traded or leveraged in a facility can, and should, be considered contraband. As staff, we’re accustomed to hunting for stationary contraband. Yet we can gain a considerable upper hand in the fight when we consider how contraband travels.
It is useful to consider the obvious: Inmates have less control over their environment than they had in society. Thus, for those who trade in illicit goods, contraband enables them to arrange for a variety of services, including assaults on others.
Contraband is power
The power base that an enterprising offender can build with contraband is something to consider. Esteem is a hard commodity to come by in prison and contraband can help an inmate not only to achieve esteem, but to leverage it in malicious ways.
Because it is a fundamental source of prisoner strength, unauthorized items are very valuable in the hands of unauthorized traders. Yet, contraband would be of less worth if it were not mobile.