Shelly-Ann Thompson, Freelance Writer

Searches conducted within the island's correctional and remand centres last year yielded $204,064, cellphones, knives, appliances, toy guns, marijuana and other contraband.

A total of 181 searches conducted at five of the island's correctional institutions between January and December 2006 also recovered HD$15 (Honduran dollars) and US$43, along with 427 cellphones, 31 ratchet knives, 2,218 balls of vegetable matter, believed to be marijuana, and four toy guns.

St. Catherine Adult Correctional Centre recorded the most searches, at 59. That centre also had the most cellphones (197) vegetable matter (932 balls) and 27 knives.

Effective security

Major Richard Reese, head of the correctional services, said that effective security, which has resulted in the arrest of staff, visitors and inmates, has been strengthened.

"The apprehension rate since 2004 to present now averages about three persons per month," said Major Reese.

"We are using intelligence and surveillance to apprehend perpetrators," he added.

The Gleaner was informed by a former inmate that a warder will bring an item into the institution for a prisoner once they are paid.

"Pay the warder and they bring it come give you. But you have to know them still," said the source.

It costs an inmate about $6,000 to smuggle into the prison a DVD player or radio, said the former inmate, who was this year released from the Horizon Adult Correctional Centre on Spanish Town Road in Kingston.

At the same time, it costs about $4,500 to have a quarter pound of marijuana, a pack of rizzla, cigarettes and a lighter delivered to an inmate, he said.

"But you see like a radio or a DVD player, no local warder cannot bring that in for a inmate. It has to be a green suit or corporal. Is them have more access to pass it (by the system) than the normal warder," said the former inmate.

The other institutions where searches were conducted are the Tower Street Adult Correctional Centre, South Camp Adult Correctional Centre, Horizon Adult Remand Centre, and Tamarind Farm Adult Correctional Centre.