The Barton Street jail is getting a new security team to look for drugs and other contraband that’s making its way inside. The news came at the inquest of 8 drug related deaths at the jail.

All the evidence has been heard now in the inquest but before closing arguments and jury recommendations the ministry wanted the inquest to know about this new institutional security team, which will be formed to look for drugs and weapons and find out who is bringing them inside.

This new security team won’t be new hires, it will be developed with officers already in the institution. The jail Staff Sgt says he will have to develop the policies, then fill the 4 positions and have additional training for those officers. The team should be implemented within 6 months.