Beware of Inmates Making Alcohol from Hand Sanitizer

This post is only offered as a discussion topic only and does not represent legal advice. Officers must refer to the laws in their own State as well as their agency's policies, which can be more restrictive on officers that the law requires.

Scenario: An officer is working in a custody facility when they see a couple of inmates that appear very drunk. The officer doesn't smell Pruno but the officer does a search anyway. During that search, the officer discovers a Styrofoam cup that smells like pure alcohol and sees reddish residue.

Is there another type of jail-made alcohol besides Pruno? 

Answer: The answer is yes. Inmates, in their quest to test limits, have come up with a way to make alcoholic drinks using hand sanitizer, and the process is fairly quick and easy. The gel hand sanitizer commonly used in most government facilities is poured into a cup or other container. An almost equal amount of salt is added to the gel. In just a few moments, the gel separates from the alcohol base. With some type of strainer, the alcohol base is poured into another container. At this point, any type of flavoring agent is added, like Kool-Aid packets, ground-up fruit candy, or fruit juice. 

The alcohol content is very high in these types of drinks due to the type of alcohol used in the hand sanitizer. Things to look out for are inmates who have access to hand sanitizer, like workers. Check their work areas and cells to make sure they don’t have any hand sanitizer hidden away. Also, look for an excess of salt packets as this can be an indication that they are planning on making the drink. 

The Briefing Room has a short training video available on this exact scenario so agency supervisors can easily train every officer in your agency on this essential topic.

www.TheBriefingRoom.com

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