OUR VIEW: GovGuam needs to stop drug deals in prisons

The government of Guam needs to do more to stop prison facilities from becoming a haven for drug users and those running a drug business — by making sure there’s enough well-trained and well-paid prison guards, and equipping the Department of Corrections with the right tools, among other things.

There has to be more that GovGuam can do besides having senators hold hearings every so often — and to get DOC officials to the Legislature — to “talk” about the problems.

The recent discovery of more than 100 grams of crystal methamphetamine or “ice” is a telltale sign of just how pervasive the “ice” problem has become.

How did such a large amount of “ice” end up inside the prison? We hope the DOC will be able to shed light on the matter after a thorough investigation.

Better yet, another agency besides the DOC should investigate.

Considering who’s supposed to have the authority over the inmate population or how the facilities are run, some of the answers might be obvious. Were prison guards and staff involved? Were prisoners’ families and associates involved? Just how big of an “ice” operation is there inside DOC’s walls?

The incident shows, among other things, just how ill-equipped DOC is in dealing with the drug problem, how prison has not deterred people from dealing or using drugs, and just how low of a priority the prison system has become.

A lack of funding has always been tossed around as among main reasons why systems like the prison don’t work. This, despite billions of federal dollars that GovGuam has received during and even after the pandemic hit, yet pandemic funds have gone to less-than-critical programs and activities.

DOC officials said the department needs some $1.8 million to connect a more effective internet-based surveillance system to cover all the inmate housing units. There’s still $200 million in federal American Rescue Plan funding that’s unspent — they may already be reserved but they can always be moved around depending on what the governor thinks is a priority.

We also can only hope that the oversight hearings, the roundtable discussions and all other types of meetings that senators have held over the past year would help address the issue of drugs in DOC and improve the overall prison system. Address the overcrowding, hire more and train more personnel. Senators have appropriated millions of dollars for less critical activities.

There also has to be more frequent operations against drugs or inspections inside DOC walls that involve not only DOC personnel but other law enforcement agencies, given the shortage of corrections officers and for accountability.

Again, GovGuam can do more to prevent DOC facilities from turning into a place of business for drugs instead of a place for rehabilitation.