Top 5 Drugs Confiscated Most From Prisons In New York

New York State prisons are not for the faint of heart. There are 44 prisons in the state, with 15 of them being classified as maximum security. Those 15 house the worst of the worst inmates. However, regardless of classification, there are drugs, violence, and incidents at each of them. Each year, the state releases an "unusual incidents report." These reports provide statistics on murders, assaults on staff, weapons, and confiscated drugs. Let's take a look at the top 5 confiscated drugs from New York State Prisons.

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The thing about these reports is to understand that they are reports. Meaning, there are so many drugs that are in New York State prisons that are never reported, for one reason or another. The report only reflects what is officially reported to the New York Department of Corrections and Community Supervision. The most recently published Unusual Incident Report is from 2022. The report shows these are the top 5 drugs confiscated from New York State prisons that year.

One thing I can tell you from being a regular viewer of the Lock Up prison docu-series is that drugs and illicit substances are RAMPANT in prison. Alcohol can be produced in prison using commonly distributed fruits. Other drugs generally get into prison by visitors, corrupt prison guards, or vendors.

READ MORE: 3 Of The Oldest Prisons In America Are In The New York Area

5. Other Drugs - 17

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4. Alcohol - 28 (11 commercial/17 homemade)

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3. Synthetic Drugs - 39

Brian smokes a synthetic drug called K2 on the street in the South Bronx on June 7, 2017 in New York City. Like Staten Island, parts of the Bronx are experiencing an epidemic in drug use, especially heroin and other opioid based drugs. More than 1,370 New Yorkers died from overdoses in 2016, the majority of those deaths involved opioids. The Mott Haven-Hunts Point area of the Bronx borough of New York currently leads the city in heroin overdose deaths. According to the Deputy Attorney General, drug overdose are now the leading cause of death for Americans under the age of 50. (Photo by Spencer Platt/Getty Images)

2. Prescription Drugs - 94

Photo by Michał Parzuchowski on Unsplash

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Source: Top 5 Drugs Confiscated Most From Prisons In New York