Drugs still getting into the Barton st. jail

There have been more drug overdoses at the Hamilton Wentworth Detention centre. This, as an inquest is underway looking at the drug related deaths of eight inmates.

The inquest has heard that despite the security measures in place, drugs are still getting inside and inmates continue to overdose. 40-year old Louis Unelli was found dead in his cell March 17, 2012. A Kinder surprise egg was found next to him. The inquest has heard these eggs are used to smuggle drugs into the jail inside inmates bodies.

Unelli had been in jail for 3 months. Toxicology reports showed he died of an opioid overdose. His cellmate telling police he saw Unelli take about 15 small white pills. His autospy also showed he had recently used cocaine and marijuana.

Body scanners were installed in the jail at the end of 2016 to try to catch drugs being smuggled in but they’re still getting inside. One correctional officer saying there were a number of overdoses on Easter weekend. In a matter of 6 days, 9 inmates overdosed, one of them twice. No one died. The officers saying they were saved by Naloxone.

The jail doesn’t have a maximum bed count, it’s a remand centre that can’t refuse anyone. The inquest has heard it’s overcrowded with usually between 400 and 500 inmates. The inquest has also heard that drugs are sometimes thrown over the detention centre wall, hidden inside deliveries, or smuggled in by staff or volunteers. Correctional officers don’t go through security.

They are examining the deaths of 8 inmates between 2012 and 2016. Since those deaths there have been at least five undetermined deaths that are suspected to be drug overdoses.