Over the weekend a Richmond female has been arrested for trying to conceal 230 Suboxone strips in her vaginal area in hopes of getting them into the Augusta Correctional Center.
The suspect identified as Angela Nicole Thomas, 40, is being held at the Middle River Regional Jail on felony charges for attempting to deliver drugs to prisoners and a misdemeanor charge of belongings of an illegal drug.
Body scanners are utilized to inspect visitors for contraband. If any drugs, weapons or any kind of paraphernalia is seen on the scanner, the visitor must consent to a strip search or body cavity search or have their ask for visitation denied.
The Virginia Department of Corrections began to take up a brand-new policy that started Saturday enforcing that woman who visits prisoners at Virginia refrain from using any type of feminine product such as tampons or menstrual cups.
The policy was aimed at stopping contraband– particularly drugs– from entering into prisons. The department states at least 12 inmates passed away from opioid overdoses from 2015 to this July.
Controversial issues began to surround the public, it generated grievances and debate, leading to the cancellation of the policy. The ACLU of Virginia, to name a few, stated it would dissuade checkouts to prisoners.
On the issue of canceling the new policy, Brian Moran, the Virginia secretary of public security, stated he felt a more extensive review of its implementation and potential repercussions was required
Due to the danger of smuggling and bribes, overdoses are very common and deadly opioid overdose was highest amongst male white detainees ages 26 to 50, specifically those who had served more than two previous sentences and got drug abuse and mental health treatment during previous terms.
The correctional facility in Augusta is a medium-security level center in Craigsville that housed roughly 1,300 prisoners in 2015. Detainees housed there with single and multiple life sentences or life sentences with additional years, need to have served 20 successive years on their sentence.
The strips the suspect tried to smuggle through is known as Suboxone which is considered a long-acting opioid due to the effect. These effects can last for approximately 3 days. Because of this, the threats of negative effects are lower considering that they are more dispersed and less extreme. For instance, at greater dosages, Suboxone is revealed to have a lower risk of associated breathing problems than some other substance abuse for opiate addiction management, including methadone.
Though the risk may be smaller sized, it can increase considerably if Suboxone is taken with other depressant drugs like benzodiazepines or alcohol. These substances in the mix can result in: Breathing problems, sedation, coma, and death.