In a sign of prohibition's failure even inside Britain's prisons, a prison officer who smuggled drugs into a maximum security prison has been jailed for seven years, according to the BBC News.
Lucy Reynolds, 29, of Evesham, pleaded guilty to violation of the UK's drug prohibition laws -- possession of heroin and cannabis with intent to supply -- as well as misconduct by smuggling phones and sim cards into Long Lartin Prison. She pleaded guilty to the charges at Worcester Crown Court in September, reported BBC.
According to Conservative MP for Mid-Worcestershire Peter Luff, prohibition failing to keep drugs out of prisons -- and corrupting those charged with guarding the prisons -- not only in Worcester but across the country. But Luff, who did not use the word "prohibition," thinks it will finally be different this time, reports BBC. "I hope [the seven-year sentence] sends a very strong message out to other people who may have access to prisoners and participate in this trade."
Whether things do turn out differently this time is secondary to Luff, however. According to BBC, he's "delighted" that someone has been caught and given a "severe penalty."
Reynolds told the court she had fallen in love with an inmate, and her attorney also said she felt under pressure to smuggle items into the jail and that inmates had threatened to scald her with water and oil if she refused, reported BBC.
Prohibition Undermining Justice System
Because drugs selling is criminalized and punishable by harsh sentences, drugs in turn fetch premium prices on the black market. The trade in drugs in turn flourishes in most communities, including prisons, where only one official or visitor needs to sneak the drugs in or look the other way. Reynolds hid the drugs inside her bra, a reminder that prohibited substances can be anywhere or everywhere.
According to BBC, Paul Whitfield, crown advocate at the Crown Prosecution Service, said after the case: "Seven years is a high sentence but it reflects the breach of trust that is demonstrated by this behaviour."
Unfortunately, police corruption driven by illicit drug trade profits is likely to continue wherever and for however long prohibition continues, if the "This Week's Corrupt Cops Stories" column, a feature of the US-based Drug War Chronicle newsletter, is any indication. Which means prisoners are going to obtain their drugs, in Britain and elsewhere, despite prohibition.
