You know the way stories like this usually work out is fairly simple. A person commits a crime, law enforcement apprehends the person, the person gets their time in court, person is found guilty and serves punishment. Overall, fairly easy process to understand.

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That is exactly what happened recently in case that Ulster County Detectives handled, only this case was slightly different. This case required Detectives to visit the Ulster County Jail because the suspect was and is, a current inmate.

Drugs in a Jail Cell

This incident is what began the month of April for members of Ulster County law enforcement. According to the press release, Detectives were contacted by members of the Ulster County Sheriff's Office Corrections Division after officers discovered and recovered approximately 18 grams or less than 1 ounce of an "unknown substance" in the jail cell of an inmate.

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An investigation was carried out and it was discovered that the unknown substance was actually crack cocaine. The illegal narcotic was discovered in the jail cell of inmate identified as 30-year old Jaquan Hamilton of Chatam.

Arrest and Charges

Following the discovery of the crack cocaine, Hamilton was placed under arrest and subsequently charged. Hamilton is now facing the felony charges of Criminal Possession of a Controlled Substance in the 3rd Degree (2 counts) and Promoting Prison Contraband in the 1st Degree.

Previous Stories: Bronx Woman Caught with Contraband at Dutchess County Prison

Later he was arraigned in the Central Arraignment Part Court (CAP) of Ulster County and remains incarcerated in the Ulster County Jail on unrelated charges. Hamilton will reappear in Kingston City Court, however a date and time for that reappearance has not been determined as of yet.

The 7 Oldest Continuously Operating Prisons in New York State

With as much history as New York state has, perhaps it's no surprise that within our borders lies some of the oldest prisons in the entire country.

Gallery Credit: Will Phillips

Photos: Bus Full of New York Prisoners Goes Up In Flames Near I-84

A bus full of New York prisoners went up in flames in the Hudson Valley near I-84.

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These 7 Prisons Are The Most Violent In New York State

New York released a report with the most recent number of violent assaults on inmates in state prisons. There were 134 inmate deaths noted in the report, although it doesn't break down the prisons where each death occurred or who caused them. Here's a look at some of the general violent incidents reported for 2020, which is the most recent data reported by the state. Compared to 10 years ago, inmate assaults have almost doubled. In 2011 there were 666 and in 2020 there were 1,205 reported. These numbers do not include inmate assaults on staff members. Overall, the number of unusual incidents includes things like assaults, deaths, accidents, sexual misconduct, and disruptive behavior.  According to the state,
"The number of unusual incidents has increased 132% from 5,980 in 2011 to 13,870 in 2020. These higher incident numbers were largely due to increases in assaults on incarcerated individuals (+81%), assaults on staff (+86%), contraband (+130%), disruptive behavior (+372%), and staff use of weapons (+1,035%)."
  In 2020, 1,836 weapons used to cut or stab, including ice picks, razor blades, can lids and shanks were discovered in state prisons around New York.

Gallery Credit: Yasmin Young

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