Drug-soaked paper, known as K2 or tune, has become the most commonly found illicit substance in Ohio prisons.
And it leads to violence and death.
That’s one of the key findings of a special investigation called, Smuggled: Inside Ohio’s Deadly Prison Drug Trade.
Reporters from The Marshall Project – Cleveland and the USA Today Network Ohio Bureau examined the problem through public records requests, autopsy reports and interviews with more than 65 people.
On Cincinnati Edition, we talk with the reporters about what they found along with two of the incarcerated people they interviewed, including one who is a former corrections officer.
Guests:
- Laura Bischoff, reporter, Cincinnati Enquirer
- Doug Livingston, staff writer, The Marshall Project – Cleveland
- Barbara Devine, Ohio inmate
- Steven Grant, Ohio inmate
The Ohio Department of Rehabilitation & Correction declined an invitation to be part of the conversation. But a spokesperson sent information about efforts to fight contraband that included this statement:
A recent New York Times feature highlighted the growing problem of paper-based contraband entering jails and prisons across the country. Ohio is not immune to these issues. However, Ohio has been proactive in how it approaches the ‘game of whack-a-mole’ it is forced to play to fight contraband. Through collaboration and innovation, Ohio remains committed to using all of the tools at its disposal to combat the scourge of contraband entering its facilities and continues to enhance those tools and strategies to protect staff and the incarcerated population.
Beginning at noon, call 513-419-7100 or email talk@wvxu.org to have your voice heard on this topic. You can catch a recorded replay at 8 p.m.