I talked further today with Dina Tyler, state prisons spokeswoman, about criminal investigations of people caught with prohibited items at state prison units. Former Clinton chief of staff Betsey Wright was charged this week with 51 felony counts for attempting to bring prohibited items into the Varner unit, including 48 tattoo needles in a closed Doritos bag. The other charges stem from a pocketknife, tweezers and a razorblade found in a clear plastic bag of items Wright gave to a security screener for checking before entering the prison.

Tyler said from October 2008 through July of this year, she’d found 170 cases of criminal investigations requested into contraband, but most were for inmate violations. Tobacco, alcohol, weapons and even cell phones frequently turn up in inmate possession.

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Dating back to August last year, Tyler has found four episodes in which State Police investigations were requested of “free-world” people. They were:

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