SEAGOVILLE, TX -
The security practices of the federal lock-up are being called into question by a California mother who wants to see her son. The elderly woman was turned away after guards accused her of testing positive for drugs.
The California mother spent thousands of dollars, and traveled thousands of miles, to see her son, possibly for the last time, given that she is 85 years-old.
"It may be the last visit I get," said Beatrice Callahan, as the emotion got to her as she stood outside the Federal Correctional Institution in Seagoville. Her one wish: to see her inmate son.
"It's very possibly the last time I see him, this trip, if they turn me down today," she said.
Callahan fears a repeat of last weekend, when her daughter's were allowed in the lock-up but she was turned away, accused of testing positive for drugs.
"I was very upset. I have never taken drugs; I don't even drink. I just started crying; I didn't know what else to do," said Callahan. She made the trip from California to visit her son, Gary, whom she hadn't seen in eight years. He's doing time for a drug conviction.
When her mother was denied, Tina Ramsey couldn't believe it. Ramsey said, "The guard called me back and said my mom tested positive, and I said that's impossible. He said he did it twice; I said my 85-year old mother does not use illegal substances."
The prison uses a machine called the Ion Spectrometer to test for traces of drug residue. It's popular in prisons, but rife with criticism. Poppy seeds, herbal products, even body enzymes, experts say, can give a false positive.
"It was hard to watch my mother walk out the door, shoulders slumped, just sobbing," Ramsey said.
Another daughter, Lorna Nickols, said the day her mother was turned away by the prison, so were a handful of other people. "There was a father and son from Pennsylvania; they were leaving the next day. Their visit got cut short."
Taking no chances, Beatrice Callahan's family didn't touch what could be dirty money, and they broke out the wipes before entering, hoping that Callahan would see her son; not knowing when, or if, there might be another visit. "It's very important because I don't know how much time I have," said Callahan.
Callahan believes it may have been her heart medication that set off the positive test; she was barred from visiting for two days because of it. Today, she was able to get in and visit her son.
Some activists believe the devices should be outlawed because they are unreliable; many times, a visitor isn't even told what drug they're supposedly testing positive for.
The California mother spent thousands of dollars, and traveled thousands of miles, to see her son, possibly for the last time, given that she is 85 years-old.
"It may be the last visit I get," said Beatrice Callahan, as the emotion got to her as she stood outside the Federal Correctional Institution in Seagoville. Her one wish: to see her inmate son.
"It's very possibly the last time I see him, this trip, if they turn me down today," she said.
Callahan fears a repeat of last weekend, when her daughter's were allowed in the lock-up but she was turned away, accused of testing positive for drugs.
"I was very upset. I have never taken drugs; I don't even drink. I just started crying; I didn't know what else to do," said Callahan. She made the trip from California to visit her son, Gary, whom she hadn't seen in eight years. He's doing time for a drug conviction.
When her mother was denied, Tina Ramsey couldn't believe it. Ramsey said, "The guard called me back and said my mom tested positive, and I said that's impossible. He said he did it twice; I said my 85-year old mother does not use illegal substances."
The prison uses a machine called the Ion Spectrometer to test for traces of drug residue. It's popular in prisons, but rife with criticism. Poppy seeds, herbal products, even body enzymes, experts say, can give a false positive.
"It was hard to watch my mother walk out the door, shoulders slumped, just sobbing," Ramsey said.
Another daughter, Lorna Nickols, said the day her mother was turned away by the prison, so were a handful of other people. "There was a father and son from Pennsylvania; they were leaving the next day. Their visit got cut short."
Taking no chances, Beatrice Callahan's family didn't touch what could be dirty money, and they broke out the wipes before entering, hoping that Callahan would see her son; not knowing when, or if, there might be another visit. "It's very important because I don't know how much time I have," said Callahan.
Callahan believes it may have been her heart medication that set off the positive test; she was barred from visiting for two days because of it. Today, she was able to get in and visit her son.
Some activists believe the devices should be outlawed because they are unreliable; many times, a visitor isn't even told what drug they're supposedly testing positive for.
