Two guards said they suffered injuries from fights with inmates that could have been prevented if more officers had been on duty. And several recalled the time a guard manning a Housing Control post on the men's side walked off the job in the middle of a shift, leaving officers trapped in pods with inmates. One of the guards was able to contact supervisors by radio. Contraband Incident logs show that, like most prisons, the Wackenhut units are filled with drugs and weapons. And officials regularly confiscate Free World cash, marijuana, alcohol and other drugs inside the units.
Drug tests reveal that inmates take methamphetamine and cocaine too.
Many suspect inmate visitors and Wackenhut employees are the main suppliers. All of those interviewed said the Correction Department's ban on tobacco use sparked a brisk trade in contraband cigarettes - often with guards as suppliers. And some corrupt male officers allegedly use contraband to convince women inmates to have sex with them. Several guards also complained that the Grimes inmates weren't getting enough to eat. You don't put them in jail to starve them.