Title: Contraband Smuggling | Consequences of Sneaking Items in Jail or Prison
Headings: Possession of a Controlled Substance in a Correctional Facility
Criminal
Possession of a Controlled Substance in a Correctional Facility
By Benson Varghese
Possession of Contraband in a Correctional Facility
What Constitutes a “Correctional Facility” in Texas?
What are “Prohibited Substances and Items” in a Correctional Facility?
What is the Punishment for Prohibited Substances and Items in a Correctional Facility?
What Constitutes “Contraband” in a Correctional Facility?
What is the Punishment for Contraband Smuggling in a Correctional Facility?
What are federal charges that can stem from smuggling drugs or other items into a correctional facility?
Examples of People Arrested for Smuggling Items into Jail or Prison
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Content: Under Texas Penal Code 38.11, it’s illegal in Texas for an individual to provide or attempt to provide an inmate at a correctional facility the following substances: Alcohol
A controlled substance or dangerous drug
A deadly weapon
A cellular phone or other wireless communications device or components
Money
Cigarette or tobacco product (unless the sheriff or jail administrator allows it)
What is the Punishment for Prohibited Substances and Items in a Correctional Facility? Individuals who take a prohibited item into a correctional facility or on property owned or controlled by a correctional facility, face a third-degree felony punishable by 2 to 10 years in state prison and a maximum $10,000 fine. Federal charges are also possible. What Constitutes “Contraband” in a Correctional Facility? When many people think of “contraband,” they often think of illegal drugs or guns. However, in jail or prison, contraband refers to items that have been banned by jail or prison operators, which may be harmless or legal in the free world. This could include coffee, soap, syringes, pornography, aspirin, or outside food. Facility operators often ban certain items because they can be used to make weapons, or because they are items that the inmates fight over or use as a substitute for money. Each correctional facility will have its own rules regarding contraband smuggling.