Title: Cub API Communication Channel
Headings: 
Joe Bouchard
What is contraband?
About the author

Content: Of course, contraband is also anything that is explicitly illegal, such as narcotics or firearms. Even information can be considered contraband. For example, prisoners can use staff credit card information to coerce officers into lax rule enforcement, or for entrapment in a set-up scheme. Contraband is power for prisoners — it allows them to gain power over others. For enterprising prisoners, trade in illicit goods and the performance of prohibited services are the building blocks of power. With planning and work, the smallest gambling enterprise has the potential to develop into a large trading empire inside the walls. With such an empire, inmates can procure weapons, narcotics, loyalty, and outside help, all of which can destabilize the security of any institution. One of the most common hazards in corrections occurs when staff underestimate the far-reaching nature of seemingly harmless, but forbidden goods and services. The simple trade of candy, for instance, can be a cover for protection services. A few betting slips may be the starting point for a widespread gambling empire.