Closer prison search opposed

Press, 24 January 1986, Page 4

Closer prison search opposed

PA Auckland Mt Eden Prison superintendent, Mr Humphrey Stroud, said yesterday he opposed internal searches and non-contact visits to counter drug-smuggling into prisons. On Wednesday a Coroner found that a Mt Eden Prison inmate had died last year after an overdose of morphinetype drugs smuggled into the prison. That finding prompted calls for tighter prison security, but Mr Stroud said officers knew drugs were in the prison and did their best to stop them. After visits inmates were given “rub-down” searches at random, but drugs could still be concealed internally, Mr Stroud said.

“The only other options are to introduce grilles or glass partitions between visitors and inmates, or fo make internal searches, > but personally I do not .j favour those. , “I do not think it is fair . for the big majority of 7 inmates not Involved in drug smuggling or for in. , nocent visitors.” Mr Stroud said 10 Mt t Eden inmates had been , ' charged with possession? of cannabis, and one i charged for possessing a < syringe in the last threemonths. Hard drugs were , rarely found. . «• Mr Stroud said the in- ? mate’s death from a drugr overdose was the only* . incident of that type in his, 18 months at Mt Eden. It t had to be taken in per- ’,, spective, forJiOOO inmates?. were handled each yearCff;