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INVESTIGATIVE UNIT: Leaked documents, inmate's father show scope of drug issues at Elayn Hunt

2 months 6 days 6 hours ago Thursday, August 29 2024 Aug 29, 2024 August 29, 2024 6:05 PM August 29, 2024 in News
Source: WBRZ

St. GABRIEL - New documents obtained by the WBRZ Investigative Unit show the scope of the drug overdose problem at Elayn Hunt Correctional Center. 

The Investigative Unit received several official Elayn Hunt documents from a second whistleblower. Spanning from Aug. 20-21, the "Unusual Occurrence Reports" illustrate a small fraction of the drug problem on a daily basis. 

According to the documents, in those two days, eight inmates were written up for drug intoxications. Five of them needed Narcan to be revived. For reasons that aren't clear, two of the Narcan administrations are listed as 'medical' and not for an intoxication. Narcan only works on opioid overdoses.

A father, who we will call John, is experiencing this second hand.

"It's a nightmare. It's my worst nightmare," he said. 

John wanted to obscure his identity in order to protect his son, who is currently incarcerated at Hunt. His son is serving a 12-year sentence for a non-violent offense and has been at Hunt for three years.

"I worry every night when I don't hear from him if he's alive or he's dead."

John says he thought going to prison would serve as a wakeup call for his son, who ran in a circle of heavy drug users before his arrest.

"A large number of his friends had passed away from heroin, fentanyl, the drugs on the street, and that was one bright spot of him being there was that he didn't have access to those drugs. I could sleep a little."

That wasn't the case. John says his son is hooked on opioids he gets from prison, as long as he has the money to buy them.

"I saw that he was losing weight so I realized he wasn't spending it on food at the canteen. He went from 250 pounds to 120 pounds in three years."

John has repeatedly asked DOC to address the issue, but says he goes in circles trying to get a hold of someone.

"No help. No help whatsoever."

While his son usually calls him everyday, sometimes multiple times begging for money, John says he hasn't heard from him in over a week.

"I just worry. Constant worry."

He hopes speaking out will show others that it's not just prisoners suffering from the drug problems at hunt.

"My son broke the law. He's being punished. We've accepted that. We've come to terms with that, but this is not part of it. I don't think the judge had this type of situation in mind when he sentenced him."

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