Sixty-two people failed drug tests at Hawke's Bay Regional Prison between July 2019 and June this year - most common of which were amphetamine based. Photo / File
Sixty-two people failed drug tests at Hawke's Bay Regional Prison between July 2019 and June this year - most common of which were amphetamine based. Photo / File
The number of Hawke's Bay prisoners testing positive for amphetamines is increasing, with drug accessibility in jail now easier than ever, according to a reformed drug addict and former prisoner.
Sixteen people tested positive for amphetamine-type stimulants, commonly found in methamphetamine, in Hawke's Bay Regional Prison in the 12 monthsfrom July 2019.
That's up on five people between 2018/19, and three people in 2015/2016.
Hastings man Adrian Pritchard spent 10 years in the Mangaroa prison. It's where he got clean more than 20 years ago.
However, he also knows just how prevalent drug use is in jail and how easy it is to source.
"Drugs have always been an issue. I strongly believe it's more of a problem today than back in my day because you've got drones and you've got meth."
Pritchard said that meth was easier to hide and smuggle in than other drugs, and its accessibility in NZ had increased.
Former Hawke's Bay Regional Prison inmate and former addict Adrian Pritchard said easy access to drugs in prison has always been an issue. Photo / File
He said part of the problem was that people in prison were vulnerable.
"There could be debts to sell drugs. You can make a lot of money in drugs."
Jail was also a place where people "did a lot of thinking" and drug use could be an escape, particularly for those with anxiety or Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder, he said.
"It's an ugly, vicious cycle."
Pritchard said drug and alcohol counselling needed to target people before they got into the prison system.
While the number who tested positive for amphetamine-type stimulants at Hawke's Bay Regional Prison had increased, the overall proportion of drug tests returning a positive result was down.
Hawke's Bay Regional Prison employs a number of methods to detect and prevent drugs being brought into the prison. Photo / File
Sixty-two prisoners failed drug tests in 2019, down 8.8 per cent from 2018/19 when Corrections carried out 4514 random drug tests.
Department of Corrections national commissioner Rachel Leota said changes in technology had made it easier to get drugs into prison.
"Corrections is constantly trying to stay ahead of new methods used to introduce drugs into our prisons.
"Drug trade and use can create a significant risk to our staff and people in prison."
She said contraband could be concealed on people – either inmates or visitors to the prison – or even thrown over the fence.
Corrections was asked specifically about drone-related drops of drugs but declined to release more detailed descriptions of smuggling tactics, due to related security risk.
The Hawke's Bay Regional Prison employed a number of drug detection methods, Leota said – including camera surveillance, background checks on visitors, vehicle searches, and prisoners wearing closed overalls when in visiting areas.
Last year, it was the first prison to train detector dogs in new psychoactive substances, including synthetic cannabis.
The dogs are stationed at prison entry points and used during routine inspections of units for contraband.
