The Everyday Life of Drugs in Prison

Abstract

Prisons disproportionately confine people who have extensive histories of illicit drug use and tend to hold groups of people who continue using drugs, albeit in different forms and amounts. Prisoners’ desire or physical compulsion to use illicit drugs fundamentally structures almost all aspects of everyday prison life. This extends to individuals who do not use illicit drugs and is felt even in prisons in which drugs are not readily available. Architectural features of prisons and logistical regimes are designed in ways meant to curtail the drug trade. Nonetheless, prisoners persistently strategize about how to acquire, transport, and consume hard drugs such as opioids (heroin and fentanyl), methamphetamine, cocaine, and alcohol. Prisoners display considerable ingenuity in modifying the prison’s physical environment to advance their drug-related agendas.