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<\/p>\nNBC5 In Depth: New York State prison’s legal mail scanners are working one year since they were installed<\/p>\n
However, the union that represents corrections officers says the implementation has come with new challenges <\/p>\n
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tYEAR\u2019S CLEAN UP DAY. HI EVERYONE. THANK YOU FOR JOINING US FOR NBC. I\u2019M LAUREN GRANADA. IT\u2019S BEEN A LITTLE OVER A YEAR SINCE NEW YORK STATE\u2019S DEPARTMENT OF CORRECTIONS IMPLEMENTED LEGAL MAIL SCANNERS IN TEN OF ITS FACILITIES, INCLUDING AT LEAST TWO IN THE NORTH COUNTRY. I SAT DOWN WITH JOHN ROBERTS, THE VICE PRESIDENT OF THE NORTHERN REGION OF SCOBA. THAT\u2019S THE UNION THAT REPRESENTS CORRECTIONS OFFICERS TO SEE HOW IT\u2019S BEEN GOING. JOHN, THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR BEING WITH US ON IN-DEPTH TODAY. THANK YOU FOR HAVING US. WE APPRECIATE IT. SO ABOUT A YEAR AGO, MAIL SCANNERS WERE IMPLEMENTED IN SEVERAL NEW YORK STATE PRISONS. TALK TO ME ABOUT WHERE THE UNION STANDS AT THIS POINT AND HOW THOSE MAIL SCANNERS HAVE BEEN WORKING. WE\u2019RE SUPPORTIVE TO PUT ANY MORE TOOLS IN OUR TOOL CHEST PER SAY. THE MALE SCANNERS HAVE BEEN GREAT. LEGAL MAIL WAS A WORKAROUND. A LOT OF THE INCARCERATED WERE USING LEGAL MAIL FOR MANY LEGAL REASONS. IS PRIVATE. WITH NICE CORRECTIONAL STAFF DOESN\u2019T GO THROUGH LEGAL MAIL. WE JUST SCAN IT TO MAKE SURE THERE\u2019S NOTHING IN IT HIDDEN IN IT. AND OVER THE LAST SEVERAL YEARS, IT BECAME APPARENT THEY WERE SATURATING THE PAPERWORK OR MANIPULATING THE SEAMS AND THE MANILA ENVELOPES, OR SENDING IN FAKE LEGAL MAIL FROM A LAW FIRM THAT MAY BE AN ACTUAL LAW FIRM, BUT YOU CAN SEARCH THE INTERNET, MAKE A STAMP ONLINE FOR A COUPLE DOLLARS, AND SENDING IN THINGS LABELED LEGAL MAIL TO AN INMATE THAT WAS PAPER LACED WITH DRUGS THAT MAY LOOK LIKE LEGAL MAIL AND, YOU KNOW, PAGE TEN THROUGH 15TH MAY BE SATURATED. AND HE WOULD KNOW THAT WAITING FOR THAT MAIL TO COME IN. AND THE PROBLEM WITH THOSE DRUGS IS IT\u2019S NOT ACTUAL DRUGS, IT\u2019S COMPOUNDS, IT\u2019S SYNTHETIC THINGS. AND YOU DON\u2019T KNOW THE REACTION. THIS ISN\u2019T JUST, OH, WE\u2019RE HAVING MARIJUANA ISSUES IN THE FACILITIES AND PEOPLE ARE SMUGGLING DRUGS. IT\u2019S CAUSING PANIC ATTACKS, HYSTERIA, ASSAULTS, PSYCHOTIC RAGES, PEOPLE BEING NARCAN. NARCAN WASN\u2019T A THING IN THE PRISON SYSTEM MANY YEARS AGO. IT WASN\u2019T NEEDED. IT WASN\u2019T NECESSARY. NOW YOU HAVE INCARCERATED, FOAMING AT THE MOUTH, STROKING OUT, DYING, CAUSING STAFF TO BE SICK AS WELL. IT\u2019S. IT\u2019S BECOMING AND BECAME. SO, YOU KNOW, PART OF THE REASONS WE HAD LAST FEBRUARY HAPPENED. THE MAIL SCANNERS HAVE BEEN GREAT IN INTERCEPTING THINGS. IT HAS SLOWED DOWN. IT SEEMS LIKE AT THE MAJORITY OF THE FACILITIES I\u2019VE SPOKEN TO PEOPLE. BUT WITH THAT COMES OTHER AVENUES OF SMUGGLING IN DRUGS, DRONES HAVE BECOME MORE OF A PROBLEM THROUGHOUT THE LAST COUPLE OF MONTHS. I DON\u2019T KNOW IF IT\u2019S THE WAY THAT THEY\u2019RE BEING MORE TRACKED OR LOOKED FOR, OR TECHNOLOGY THAT\u2019S BEEN CREATED, OR IF IT\u2019S SOMETHING THAT HAS NOW YOU FIX ONE, YOU FIX ONE CHANNEL OF DRUGS, THEY MOVE ON TO ANOTHER. BECAUSE IF THERE\u2019S A WILL, THERE\u2019S A WAY, UNFORTUNATELY. AND THE DRUG TRADE IN THE PRISON SYSTEM HAS ALWAYS AND PROBABLY ALWAYS WILL BE A VERY LUCRATIVE BUSINESS FOR THESE PEOPLE. AND WE JUST HAVE TO TRY TO STAY A STEP AHEAD OF THEM. BUT UNFORTUNATELY, YOU DON\u2019T KNOW WHAT YOU\u2019RE LOOKING FOR ANYMORE WITH THIS SYNTHETIC OPIOID TYPE SUBSTANCE. NOW, YOU MENTIONED THE DRONES. HOW ELSE OR WHAT OTHER CHALLENGES OUR CORRECTIONS OFFICERS FACED WITH CONTRABAND BEING SNUCK INTO THESE PRISONS? AND WHAT OTHER CASES HAVE WE SEEN WHERE IT\u2019S NOT A TYPICAL WAY THAT SOMEONE MIGHT TRY TO SNEAK SOMETHING IN? VISITS ARE A HUGE NUMBER. THE BODY SCANNERS, NOW THAT THEY ARE MANDATORY FOR THE MOST PART, SOME PEOPLE HAVE WORKAROUNDS ON THOSE. FOR OBVIOUSLY PREGNANT MEN OR WOMEN, CHILDREN. UNFORTUNATELY, NOW KIDS ARE MULES, DRUG MULES, WHICH IS DISGUSTING. BUT LIKE I SAID, THERE\u2019S A WAY THIS IS A LUCRATIVE BUSINESS. SOME PEOPLE DO IT NOT EVEN BY NECESSITY, THEY MAY BE THREATENED. THEIR FAMILY MEMBER MAY BE THREATENED WITH VIOLENCE INSIDE THE JAIL OR PROTECTION FOR THEIR FAMILY MEMBERS TO BRING IN DRUGS INTO. THEY MIGHT NOT EVEN KNOW WHO THEY\u2019RE BRINGING THEM TO. THEY JUST KNOW I HAVE TO VISIT SO AND SO TOMORROW AT THE FACILITY AND GIVE THEM THIS PAPER. THEY SMUGGLE IT INSIDE A BAG OF CHIPS. YOU KNOW, THE VISIT ROOM ISN\u2019T LIKE YOU SEE ON TV. IT\u2019S AN OPEN JUST LIKE WE\u2019RE SITTING HERE. THERE IS NO GLASS NECESSARILY IN BETWEEN THEM. VERY FEW PEOPLE HAVE NON-CONTACT VISITS FOR THE GENERAL POPULATION. YOU SAID IT YOURSELF. IT\u2019S GOING TO COME IN SOME WAY OR THERE WILL BE ATTEMPTS SOME WAY. BUT WITH THESE MAIL SCANNERS IMPLEMENTED, WHAT\u2019S THE FEEDBACK BEEN FROM CORRECTIONS OFFICERS? DO THEY FEEL SAFER? HAS IT MADE THEIR JOBS BETTER OR EASIER FOR THEM? I WANT TO SAY THAT IT MAKES THEM FEEL BETTER AS A WHOLE. IT\u2019S IT HELPS. DEFINITELY HELPS. I\u2019LL GIVE CREDIT WHERE CREDIT IS DUE. USING THE BODY SCANNERS AS WELL. IT\u2019S BEEN A VERY USEFUL TOOL. BUT THEN YOU READ IN THE NEWS THAT NOW THE ADVOCACY GROUPS ARE SAYING WE\u2019RE DENYING VISITS BECAUSE OF — AND THINGS LIKE THAT. I\u2019M PRETTY SURE I HAVEN\u2019T SEEN THE SCANS PERSONALLY. I\u2019VE WENT THROUGH THE BODY SCANNER PERSONALLY THROUGH THE FACILITY BECAUSE I\u2019M CONSIDERED A VISITOR AT SOME OF THE FACILITIES. WHEN I GO, IT TAKES A COUPLE MINUTES. IT\u2019S NOT EVASIVE. BUT, YOU KNOW, WOMEN LOOK AT WOMEN SCANS, MEN LOOK AT MEN\u2019S SCANS. SO I HAVEN\u2019T BEEN ABLE TO SEE THEM. BUT THE WOMEN TELL ME THAT THEY CAN TELL THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN A — AND DRUGS, OR WHEN A MALE HAS DRUGS TAPED OR ON A STRING TO HIS APPENDIXES. OR YOU CAN TELL THE DIFFERENCE. IT\u2019S NOT VERY HARD TO TELL, IS THERE SOMETIMES A MISTAKE? WE\u2019RE NOT PERFECT, PROBABLY, BUT FOR, I WOULD SAY, A HIGH PERCENTAGE. THESE. EVERY TIME A VISITOR IS TURNED AROUND, IT RELIES ON DRUGS, NOT GETTING INTO THE FACILITY AND SOMEBODY POTENTIALLY GETTING HURT OR KILLED. AND WE TALKED ABOUT MORE RECENT NEWS AS WELL, WITH A LOT OF VIOLENCE BREAKING OUT IN OUR NEW YORK STATE PRISON SPECIFICALLY, I WANT TO TALK ABOUT CLINTON CORRECTIONAL FACILITY AND WHAT HAPPENED THERE. TELL ME HOW THE CONTRABAND AND THE ILLEGAL SUBSTANCES BEING SNUCK INTO THE PRISONS CONTRIBUTE TO THIS VIOLENCE THAT WE\u2019VE BEEN SEEING RECENTLY. A COUPLE OF INCIDENTS WERE INTOXICATED INMATES, AND THAT\u2019S A TERM WE USE NOW BECAUSE THEY\u2019RE NOT NECESSARILY INTOXICATED LIKE US IN THE STREET. PEOPLE WOULD ASSUME YOU\u2019RE DRINKING AND YOU\u2019RE DRUNK. IT\u2019S INTOXICANTS BECAUSE IT\u2019S NOT NECESSARILY DRUGS. IT\u2019S SOME SORT OF COMPOUND OR WE DON\u2019T KNOW WHAT IT IS AT THE TIME. WE MAY NEVER KNOW BECAUSE ONCE YOU TEST FOR A CERTAIN DRUG AND YOU FIND OUT THE COMPOUND, THEY\u2019LL CHANGE IT. THAT WAY IT DOESN\u2019T POP ON ANY TESTS. SOMETIMES YOU\u2019LL FIND FENTANYL. IT\u2019S NOT USUALLY FENTANYL. IT\u2019S SOMETHING THAT ACTS LIKE A FENTANYL TYPE OPIOID. BUT IT IT\u2019S ALL TIED TOGETHER BECAUSE SOME OF THESE LARGER SCALE INCIDENTS PROBABLY WERE GANG ACTIVITY, WHICH ALL REVOLVES AROUND THE DRUG TRADE OR WHO\u2019S CONTROLLING SOMETHING IN THE FACILITY. THESE PRISONS ARE CITIES AMONG CITIES AND VILLAGES AND TOWNS. THEY HAVE DOCTORS, NURSES. THEY HAVE THEIR DRUG DEALERS. THEY HAVE EVERYTHING INSIDE THESE PEOPLE, INSIDE THESE FACILITIES. AND THEY HAVE THE SAME PROBLEMS IN THERE. IT\u2019S JUST MAKES IT WORSE BECAUSE SOME OF THESE PEOPLE ARE, YOU KNOW, THEY\u2019RE FIGHTING FOR THEIR LIVES IN THERE OR WE\u2019RE DOING A GOOD JOB GETTING SOME OF THE REGULAR DRUGS OUT OF THE FACILITIES, AND THEY GO TO OTHER AVENUES WITH THINGS LIKE SCORPION SPRAY, SOMETHING THAT MOST PEOPLE WOULD NEVER INGEST IN THEIR BODY, BUT THEY GET A HIGH OFF OF IT. SOMETIMES THAT HIGH GOES INTO HEART ATTACKS, STROKES, FOAMING AT THE MOUTH, UNCONSCIOUSNESS. IT\u2019S NOT SAFE FOR THEM, AND IT\u2019S NOT SAFE FOR PEOPLE HAVING TO RESPOND AND TRY TO SAVE THEIR LIVES. WHAT IS HIS RESPONSE? AS CORRECTIONS OFFICERS CONTINUE TO FEAR FOR THEIR SAFETY AND CONTINUE TO FACE VIOLENCE IN THEIR EVERYDAY LIVES AT WORK? UNFORTUNATELY, POLITICS PROBABLY AROUND 2018, MAYBE A LITTLE BEFORE IT BECAME CONTROLLING THE PRISON SYSTEM AND PEOPLE THAT HAVE NEVER STEPPED FOOT IN THERE OR ONLY LISTEN TO A CERTAIN SET OF PEOPLE, ARE CHANGING POLICIES AND RULES TO BENEFIT THEIR CONSTITUENTS. I UNDERSTAND THAT AS A PERSON, BUT, YOU KNOW, WE CHANGED A LOT OF LAWS LAST YEAR BECAUSE OF TWO VERY UNFORTUNATE INCIDENTS IN THE CENTRAL PART OF THE STATE. BUT WE DIDN\u2019T MAKE ANYTHING SAFER FOR ANYBODY. THE NUMBERS ARE STILL ALARMING. IF YOU GO BACK TO 2014, 2012 AND LOOK AT ASSAULTS ON INCARCERATED ASSAULTS ON STAFF, THEY\u2019RE NOWHERE NEAR WHERE THEY ARE NOW. AND I\u2019M NOT SAYING I HAVE THE FIX FOR EVERYTHING, BUT GETTING THE DRUGS LESS OUT OF THE FACILITIES IS A HUGE STEM OF THE PROBLEM, AND THAT THAT WOULD FIX A LOT OF ISSUES. AND THEN WHEN YOU FIX VIOLENCE, YOU FIX THE DRUGS OUT OF THE FACILITY. THEN THE PUBLIC COMES AND WANTS THIS JOB AGAIN. FOR ME, I HAD TO WAIT ALMOST A YEAR, YEAR AND A HALF AFTER APPLYING, TAKING A TEST AT PLATTSBURGH HIGH SCHOOL, WAITING TO GET CALLED FOR 9 TO 12 MONTHS, AND THEN TAKING A JOB FIVE HOURS FROM HOME FOR ALMOST FIVE YEARS. NOW, PEOPLE GET TO START LOCALLY. IT\u2019S A LOT EASIER PROCESS. TECHNOLOGY HAS GOTTEN BETTER TO DO VIRTUAL. IF THE JOB BECAME LESS VIOLENT, IT WOULD BE A LOT MORE APPEALING BECAUSE THIS JOB USED TO BE A SOUGHT AFTER JOB. MANY GENERATIONS OF FAMILY. MY FATHER IS RETIRED. CORRECTION LIEUTENANT. PEOPLE TOOK THIS JOB, WAITED TO GET THIS JOB, AND I WOULD LOVE TO GET BACK TO THAT. I STILL THINK IT\u2019S PROVIDED A OKAY LIFE, GREAT LIFE FOR MY FAMILY, MY DAUGHTER. BUT IT\u2019S IT\u2019S A NEGATIVE ENVIRONMENT. BUT WE HAVE TO GET IT BACK WHERE THE RISKS OUTWEIGH THE REWARDS AND MAKE IT MORE ATTAINABLE. BECAUSE IF YOU HAVE STAFF, YOU GET THE DRUGS OUT. IT MAKES IT SAFER FOR NOT ONLY THE STAFF, BUT FOR THE PEOPLE THAT ARE THERE EVERY DAY. THE INCARCERATED, AND NO ONE WANTS TO GO THERE AND HAVE TO DEAL WITH, YOU KNOW, OVERDOSING. IT JUST GETS OLD. YOU GET BURNT OUT. THE STRESS SINCE LAST YEAR, ALMOST NON-EXISTENT VACATION TIME. WE\u2019RE WORKING ON THAT. ON CLINTON, HOPEFULLY STARTING HERE AT THE BEGINNING OF NEXT MONTH. ON GETTING VACATIONS. THEY HAVEN\u2019T HAD THEIR SCHEDULED VACATIONS FOR WELL OVER A YEAR NOW, AND YOU DON\u2019T GET THAT TIME TO UNPLUG. YOU WORK IN, YOU KNOW, 80 TO 100 HOURS, A PAY PERIOD WITH NO END IN SIGHT, YOUR DAYS OFF OR YOUR REGULAR DAYS OFF. FOR THE MOST PART. AND, YOU KNOW, EVERYBODY NEEDS TO ANY JOB, YOU NEED TO HAVE A VACATION DAYS, THEY GET THE VACATION HOURS. THEY\u2019RE JUST NOT ALLOWED TO USE THEM. AND THEN THAT\u2019S STILL THE REST OF THE REGION IS STILL, YOU KNOW, WE\u2019RE SHORT STAFFED ALL OVER. WE\u2019RE NOT WORKING 80 HOURS A WEEK ANYMORE, 60 HOURS A WEEK AT MOST FACILITIES. BUT THE VACATION TIME IS, YOU KNOW, ALMOST NON-EXISTENT ON A SCHEDULED VACATION THROUGHOUT THE REGION. WHAT IS NICE SCOPE IS HOPING THE CORRECTIONS OFFICERS HOPE WITH DOCS AND WHAT WOULD THEY LIKE TO SEE IN RESPONSE FROM THE STATE TO ALL OF THESE ISSUES RIGHT NOW, ESPECIALLY SINCE MORALE IS WHERE IT\u2019S AT RIGHT NOW, MORALE IS ALMOST NON-EXISTENT. UNFORTUNATELY. YOU KNOW, WE HAD A HALT COMMITTEE AFTER THE THE WAY THAT MET DID A LOT OF GOOD WORK, SENT RECOMMENDATIONS TO THE LEGISLATURE. I DON\u2019T BELIEVE ANYTHING\u2019S BEEN IMPLEMENTED OR CHANGED. AND THESE WERE NOT REPEAL HALL. GRANTED, I WOULD LOVE TO SEE A HALT REPEALED. I\u2019M REALISTIC. I\u2019M VERY WELL IN NUMBERS IN THE POLITICS HERE. SO. BUT CAN WE MAKE IT A LITTLE SAFER? AND IF THEY DON\u2019T WANT TO MAKE IT SAFER FOR THE PRISON STAFF, LET\u2019S AT LEAST MAKE IT SAFER FOR THE INCARCERATED. IF THAT\u2019S THE ONLY THING THAT WE CAN DO. AND YOU, YOU KNOW, WE JUST HAD TWO PEOPLE, THREE PEOPLE IN THE NORTH COUNTRY THAT WERE POTENTIALLY MURDERED IN THE LAST TWO WEEKS AT THE HANDS OF INCARCERATED, NOT AT THE HANDS OF STAFF. AND THAT JUST DOESN\u2019T FIT THE NARRATIVE F\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n
NBC5 In Depth: New York State prison’s legal mail scanners are working one year since they were installed<\/p>\n
However, the union that represents corrections officers says the implementation has come with new challenges <\/p>\n
\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n
\n\t\t\tUpdated: 2:50 PM EDT Apr 26, 2026\n\t\t<\/p>\n