'This is a national problem' | Minnesota DOC makes changes to mail system in wake of synthetic drugs found inside prisons
Since January, the DOC says 70 inmates have been hospitalized due to exposure to synthetic drugs, often sent through the mail.
The Problem
There's a problem that the Minnesota Department of Corrections can't quite seem to stop. Synthetic drugs have made their way into Minnesota prisons, smuggled in through various means before being sold inside.
Inside Minnesota Correctional Facility Stillwater, those synthetic drugs are coming in through the mail.
"Somebody can write a letter, paint a picture, have a child drawing, send that into the mail, and then that paper is cut into pieces and can be sold and distributed in the kind of a prison marketplace, so to speak," Paul Schnell, Commissioner of the Minnesota Department of Corrections, said.
In June, a 22-year-old inmate died after possible use of these synthetic drugs. In September, nine staff members at the Stillwater prison were taken to the hospital after exposure to those drugs.
"It's incredibly frustrating and challenging, because we want to do everything we can to protect the safety of our staff and the safety of the people we serve," Schnell said.
During an interview earlier this month, Schnell said more than 70 prisoners across Minnesota were hospitalized because of exposure to synthetic drugs since January. Oftentimes, he says those drugs are difficult to detect – even after multiple screening devices were installed.
"We also made investments in ion scanners. These ion scanners are able to pick up drugs in paper, and that has been a very useful tool, but it also has its limitations and challenges," Schnell said. "You can get false positive and false negatives, so, oftentimes, we're chasing, is this the real thing?"
It's a problem Schnell says is inside every one of their facilities, and affects prison systems nationwide.
"It's important to note that while we're talking here about Minnesota Department of Corrections, this is a national issue," he said. "In fact, one of the federal prisons in Minnesota just had an issue, in Waseca, and so these problems are prevalent, and all of us are trying to find the best solution to stop it."
The Initial Solution
During our interview with Schnell at the beginning of October, he said three facilities – including Stillwater – have changed how they handle incoming mail.
"All incoming mail is photocopied, the photocopies are provided to the incarcerated person. The originals are destroyed," Schnell said. "And so the goal there is to try to keep any of that paper that may be soaked with these synthetic substances from entering the inside of the prison."
Schnell says they've seen issues even from legal mail – letters and documents coming from an inmate's attorney.
"We have found mail that has been tainted, that came in through legal mail," he said. "And when we've done some follow-up, we found that it was mail that was passed through to the from family members to the law firm."
"We also have people that, you know, set up false law practices," Schnell added.
Schnell says they have their own investigative division, focused on figuring out who is sending synthetic drugs into Minnesota prisons.
"We oftentimes are investigating these cases, and really, right now, one of the major focuses is who are those outside people that are conspiring with people on the inside to send these items in, this contraband in," Schnell said.
The Connection Concern
At the heart of this are the inmates themselves, seeing the damage these synthetic drugs have caused and the DOC response.
We asked the Department of Corrections to speak to multiple incarcerated individuals inside Stillwater. DOC provided us time to speak with five inmates, all convicted of murder, with sentences ranging from a few decades to life behind bars.
The group of five works as mentors inside Stillwater, speaking and checking up on those who need it. Many expressed concern with the handling of the mail system.
"Snail mail, I mean, most people probably don't even communicate like that anymore, but for us, it's important," Lennell Martin, sentenced to life in prison, said.
"The possibility of that discouraging people from writing in the first place," Martin continued. "Why would I send a letter that is going, or anything to someone that's just going to be destroyed and they're never going to get it?"
Their concern comes from a loss of connection to the outside world. Dimitri Harrell, sentenced to 20 years in prison, says there's a huge difference between actual letters and pictures from loved ones and the copies they receive.
"I've seen it go from me getting actual like obituaries from my loved ones to photocopies," Harrell said.
"Those photos last in the photo album, versus a piece of paper that's just copied," he added.
Ramone Vercher, sentenced to more than 25 years in prison, says there's also a concern when it comes to their mental health.
"You get two hours of time out of your cell, and just," he said, trailing off. "Isolation. Period. All day."
While they understand the need to make changes to keep them safe, many felt as if there were other ways to make that happen – including their roles as mentors.
"When you're in your cell for so long, it's just like, you don't know if anybody cares, you know?" Vercher said. "So I try to provide that as a mentor and provide and share my story about healing, and share my story about growth."
"You hope that the situation will be resolved and you'll be able to have that tactile connection, that sentimental, you know, restored," Martin said. "It's a certain level of humanity. I think that in dignity that we take pride in and is meaningful. So it's complicated. I get, you know, I don't proclaim, I don't know what the end, what the solutions are, and apparently no one in America does, because Minnesota is not in a vacuum. The DOC, you know, all the prisons all across America have drug problems."
The New Solution
The Minnesota Department of Corrections announced Thursday that it has initiated a new system to handle the screening of incoming prison mail. The DOC is now partnering with TextBehind, a Maryland-based company.
In a press release Thursday afternoon, Schnell said, "By partnering with TextBehind, we are improving safety in our facilities while introducing technology that will make it easier for families to stay connected with their loved ones in a secure and accessible way."
TextBehind CEO Zia Rana said "TextBehind will prevent hard contraband such as drugs and weapons from entering Minnesota DOC facilities via non-privileged and privileged (legal) mail.”
“Staff and inmates will be safer, and we anticipate a significant cost savings for the Minnesota DOC due to a reduction in mail room personnel hours or redeployment of labor," Rana continued.
Starting November 1, mail will not be sent directly to inmates – instead, it will be sent to Maryland to be screened and copied, before the copies are sent back to inmates. That press release says TextBehind's process stops contraband from ever entering a facility through the mail.
Vercher says he's frustrated by the change.
"It just feels like a contradictory, because it's like, it's another barrier for our family to keep in contact with us, opposed to our mail just coming straight to us," he said. "All my family is in Minneapolis, so now that they have to wait or send it to Maryland or something like that, makes it even harder. So just frustrating."
"My daughter graduates from high school this year," Vercher continued. "She might want to send me a copy ... of her diploma, and now it's got to get sent to Maryland."
The DOC press release claims that, "Facilities that have partnered with TextBehind have experienced a virtual elimination of mail-related grievances from incarcerated people, have advanced their investigative capabilities and have benefited from improved mail delivery and distribution efficiency."