Kozhikode: Drug addicts rule the roost in jails and fresh inmates are initiated into the world of drugs by the seniors. And there are umpteen ways in which narcotic substances are brought into the prisons. Sivan (name changed) reached the district jail as a convicted prisoner in his early 20s. A few years later, he left the prison as a drug addict. He was admitted to a de-addiction centre and his kith and kin were shocked to learn that Sivan was supplied drugs by his fellow inmates in jail.
“Smuggling in ganja packets into the jail is simple. Either the visitors bring them in small quantities or the inmates, while being taken into courts for trials, receive them from outside. The coverings are tightened with plastic and inserted into the anus. It cannot be detected during checks and only that particular person can take the packet out,” said Sivan. After the de-addiction treatment, he has been leading a normal life with his family in Kozhikode, but says that it is possible to go back to drugs anytime.
Sivan’s case is not an isolated one, say the jail authorities, who do not wish to be identified. The youngsters, who land in prisons for the first time, are lured by the addicts who offer them a ‘puff.’ They do not disclose it to anyone fearing the notorious criminals, who have an upper hand in society too, he added. According to Sivadas K. Thaiparambil, Prisons DIG, north zone, no serious discussions have been held at the state level on the screening and blocking of drugs brought into jails. He admitted that at present the state does not have a foolproof mechanism to check the carriers of drugs into the jails.
“The inmates bring in drugs after they are taken outside for court hearing etc. However, we are yet to install some devices like a high-tech scanner for screening such substances being brought either by the inmates or by the visitors. It is normal for the youngsters to fall into such traps in an isolated and stressed life. There are also technical issues for the authorities to check the inmates who bring the drug kept inside anus. Often, the steps to recover the drugs are termed as torture and human rights violation. In that case, the officials also get dejected,” the DIG added.
