Pubdate: Tue, 18 Mar 2008 Source: Maple Ridge Times (CN BC) Copyright: 2008 Lower Mainland Publishing Group Inc Contact: http://www.mrtimes.com/ Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/1372 Author: Amy Steele DRUG OD SUSPECTED IN FRCC INMATE DEATH The B.C. Coroner's Service and the RCMP are investigating the death of a 20-year-old inmate who was found dead in his cell at the Fraser Regional Correctional Centre on March 14. "It's likely it was a drug overdose based on the information I've received," said Dean Purdy, chair of the corrections and sheriffs branch of the B.C. Government Employee's Union. Vince Stancato, regional coroner, said the investigation is in its preliminary stages. He expected an autopsy would be completed early this week, but said the toxicological report could take weeks. The coroner's service hasn't released the name of the deceased inmate yet. Lisa Lapointe, spokesperson for B.C. Corrections, said she couldn't reveal any details about the death because it is now under a coroner's investigation. Street drugs and contraband are "ongoing problems" at jails throughout B.C., said Purdy. "It's become a real problem because of staffing shortages. A lot of jails haven't been able to conduct searches on a regular basis," said Purdy. Purdy said every kind of drug "you can imagine" is ending up within jails. Often drugs are brought in by inmates who conceal them in body cavities, he said. "I think (BC Corrections) knows there's a problem but it's difficult to deal with it when the prisons are becoming more and more overcrowded," he said. Lapointe said BC Corrections will be conducting a review of the death "to look at all the circumstances of the death and establish what happened and what we can do, if there are any changes we can make." Lapointe acknowledged that drugs are an issue within provincial prisons. "Many inmates are there because of their substance abuse issues. We have many strategies to try and keep drugs out," she said. All visitors are searched before they're allowed to enter the prison and there are regular patrols outside prison walls, as well as searches of cells and prisoners. "Anytime information is received there may be drugs in a particular unit a search will be conducted in that unit," she said. "There's intelligence gathering in the correctional facilities as well." Purdy said drugs in prisons create added safety concerns for correctional officers. "Obviously from our standpoint it's a very dangerous situation when you have needles and the potential for staff to get poked by a needle," he said. - --- MAP posted-by: Derek