A naloxone kit.
(BRENDAN KERGIN / iNFOnews.ca)
March 26, 2023 - 7:00 PM
There were 22 reported drug overdoses at the Oliver Correctional Centre between 2018 and 2022 and one was fatal, according to B.C’s Ministry of Public Safety and Solicitor General.
However there is zero tolerance for illegal drugs within the facility, a spokesperson said in an email.
READ MORE: Okanagan Correctional Centre inmate suing for being served 'bad food'
To reduce drug use within B.C. prisons – body scanners have been in place since 2018, contraband can be seized through enhanced mail screening, cell searches and video surveillance, prisoners are screened upon every entry and re-entry, and they’re offered support for mental health or substance use challenges if required, according to the Ministry.
“However, despite these efforts, we know that people living with addiction will sometimes go to extraordinary lengths to meet their needs, which is why B.C. Corrections works closely with its health partners to help support these individuals while in custody,” the email reads.
"Given the prevalence of high-potency narcotics in the community, naloxone is readily available in correctional centres for use by health care staff as well as correctional staff as required."
Across B.C. there have been over 200 non-fatal overdoses in provincial prisons between 2018 and 2022, and a total of 20 overdose deaths including the one in Oliver.
Image Credit: SUBMITTED/B.C. Ministry of Public Safety and Solicitor General
The Town of Oliver. The brightest property is the prison.
(DAN WALTON / iNFOnews.ca)
To contact a reporter for this story, email Dan Walton or call 250-488-3065 or email the editor. You can also submit photos, videos or news tips to the newsroom and be entered to win a monthly prize draw.
We welcome your comments and opinions on our stories but play nice. We won't censor or delete comments unless they contain off-topic statements or links, unnecessary vulgarity, false facts, spam or obviously fake profiles. If you have any concerns about what you see in comments, email the editor in the link above.
News from © iNFOnews, 2023