I’d like to reply to one of the questions you asked in the last prompt, which was: “What do you think the prime agents are that contribute to substance abuse in prison? And how can state leaders address this problem?”

Well, I think the prime agents that contribute to substance abuse in prison is the lack of prison officials and staff personnel in evaluating those individual inmates who have issues of substance abuse and/or have issues with abusing their current medications. They’re the individuals who need to attend substance abuse, not the inmates with no issues of substance abuse. Staff constantly force inmates into programs that they do not need. This is being done so they can receive federal funds for those type programs but everyone doesn’t need that particular type of program. Yet, staff personnel’s refuse to enroll those individual inmates— who actually need such programs and rehabilitation— should be held accountable for not doing their jobs in making sure that those individual inmates receive adequate treatment in appropriate programs while incarcerated.

Plus, staff claimed that inmates were bringing in the drugs through the visiting room…yet, when contact visitation was taken away the drugs were still coming in. Here recently, staff claims that the drugs are coming in through mail, magazines, and book orders…but, that has been proving to be a lie too. So, it can’t be the inmates that are bring in the drugs because all the ways they may have had in doing so has been stopped…yet, drugs are still coming in. So, how are they coming in? Its not hard to figure out! Everything that is sent in to inmates is thoroughly inspected, searched, scanned, and sniffed out by dogs, etc..

As to how state leaders can address this problem? Well, they can start by making it “Mandatory” for all individuals with issues of substance abuse and/or abuse of taking medication prior to incarceration, and during their term of incarceration. This would allow those individual inmates to get the adequate treatment they need before being released back into society…in doing so, they will have a better chance of getting out and staying out. As long as prison officials and staff personnel continues to allowing these type of inmates to keep on abusing their medications, and allowing them to continue to refuse such programs… then, this issue will continue to be a major issue in the future. State leaders need to address these issues immediately! For lives are being lost, and as of this day, nothing is being done to fix the broken system. Prisons are used to rehabilitate individuals through incarceration, not to punish them further by turning their backs on those individual inmates who needs help.

Thank you,

Curtis L. Floyd, #1036136
Red Onion State Prison
P.O. Box 1900
Pound, VA. 24279
Email: http://www.JPay.com