"High-Price Drug Sales Business Thriving in Prisons"
"Unbelievable but Actually Happening"
In the UK, there have been claims that criminal organizations frequently infiltrate their members into prisons as correctional officers, similar to the movie 'Infernal Affairs.'
On the 27th (local time), The Guardian reported that the Prison Officers' Association (POA), a labor union for prison staff, raised such suspicions, stating that "a kind of business selling drugs and mobile phones at high prices is thriving."
A spokesperson for the POA said that criminal organizations know that smuggling contraband into prisons is profitable, adding, "People hired as prison officers may enter solely for the purpose of making money by smuggling contraband." If not caught, they could come out with a large sum of money after 5 to 6 months.
They continued, "While a prison officer might devise such a scheme alone to make money, criminal organizations could also plan such acts," and claimed, "It may seem unreal, but it is actually happening."
The causes of such corruption being openly conducted in prisons include low wages for prison officers, hiring failures, and inadequate training.
There is also the reason that prison officers are often too young and thus prone to corruption. A POA spokesperson added, "Such acts are likely widespread in most prisons and mainly carried out by younger staff."
The UK lowered the minimum age for prison officers from 25 to 20 in 1987, and in 1999, it was further reduced to 18 in London and the Southeast to increase recruitment.
Charles Taylor, the Chief Inspector of Prisons in the UK, also acknowledged this possibility. He cited an incident this year at HMP Berwyn in Wales, where 18 female officers who fraternized with inmates were dismissed and 3 were arrested.
Chief Inspector Taylor pointed out, "Looking at such incidents, one wonders whether people with proper qualifications are being hired and whether they receive adequate training to understand the risks of corruption."
Recently, drug tests conducted on inmates at a prison showed a 38% positive rate. This indicates that crimes such as drug smuggling continue unabated inside prisons.
In response, the UK Ministry of Justice has strengthened prison security checks by investing ?100 million (approximately 160 billion KRW) to introduce 97 X-ray body scanners.
The Ministry of Justice stated, "Since last October, there have been more than 28,000 cases of contraband being smuggled into prisons and detected."
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