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Officials at the Barnwell County Detention Center (BCDC) have confiscated contraband on multiple occasions in the past six months, leading jail personnel to implement further precautionary measures.
Contraband is designated as any item which was not issued to a prisoner officially or which cannot be purchased at commissary, defined in regulations set by the S.C. Department of Corrections (SCDC). Items such as cellphones, tobacco, and illicit substances are some common examples of contraband found at BCDC and jails across the state.
On June 21, “BCDC performed a shakedown and located numerous amounts of contraband at BCDC,” states an incident report.
This shake down resulted in BCDC personnel finding eight bags of contraband: six cell phones and multiple charging cords and charging blocks as well as vapes and tobacco. All of this evidence was turned over the S.C. Law Enforcement Division (SLED) when the Barnwell County Sheriff’s Office (BCSO) asked the state agency to investigate.
Just over two weeks later on July 7, five incarcerated individuals at BCDC were charged in relation to this contraband sweep.
Two weeks later on July 18, another inmate was arrested for three counts of possession of contraband, possession of methamphetamine with intent to distribute, and possession of marijuana with intent to distribute.
Jail personnel found two smartphones, several phone chargers, a red Swisher Sweets package containing cigarettes, over 30 grams of marijuana, and over a gram of methamphetamine leading to these charges.
On July 21, two inmates were charged with possession of contraband for items like cell phones and lighters.
On August 18, an inmate was being searched by a scanner inside BCDC and was found in possession of a cell phone. The inmate denied knowing how the cell phone entered the jail and was subsequently charged with possession of contraband.
On September 18, another two inmates were charged with possession of contraband. Jail personnel discovered surveillance footage showing one of these inmates placing a mesh pouch in a window area in the barracks believed to contain a cell phone and charger.
A vape pen was found underneath the bed of the other inmate charged on Sept. 18.
Contraband has posed a problem at BCDC long before this year whether it be drugs or cell phones. In August 2021, a 39-year-old from Sumter was charged with furnishing contraband for attempting to throw a package containing cigarettes and lighters over the fence to the jail yard at BCDC. This individual was later arrested in May 2023 with identification assistance from the Sumter County Detention Center.
Jail officials responded by implementing precautionary measures to secure the yard such as a security fence.
On November 14, Barnwell County Council approved a $100,000 security fence to be installed at BCDC by G.M. Phillips Construction of Orangeburg. The fence will be made from chain link wire, barbed wire, and razor wire. The company estimates the project can be completed within two weeks of the start date.
This advanced fencing can also prohibit drones from dropping contraband in the facility - an issue experienced by facilities around the state.
Securing the facility on the outside does not guarantee contraband cannot be brought in internally.
In recent years, BCDC personnel have been charged in relation to bringing contraband into the jail facility. July 2021 charges of furnishing contraband to prisoners were brought forward for a former correctional officer who was caught sneaking in cigarettes and marijuana.
BCDC is not the only facility in the state dealing with staff bringing in contraband and searching for solutions. Two employees of Lee Correctional Institution in Bishopville are facing criminal charges following an internal contraband investigation.
To curb this influx of contraband, SCDC piloted a program in late July that has successfully disabled 790 cellphones at the Bishopville facility– which only houses 1,080 inmates in total.
Cell phones found inside jail facilities are commonly used to coordinate criminal activity. To limit this, prison officials adopted a contraband interdiction system to identify signals coming from cell phones operating from inside the facility. Once discovered, the data is submitted to phone companies which then disable the device.
SCDC officials plan to request state funding to expand the program to other prisons in the state.
