The illegal drug trade in California prisons is nothing new. 

But a report in the Los Angeles Times out Wednesday suggests narcotics—and lethal overdoses—have reached the highest security parts of the prison, and death row inmates have been dying from illegal drug overdoses at an alarming rate. 

Los Angeles Times reporter Paige St. John wrote the story, and she spoke with Libby Denkmann about the issue.

Click the blue audio player to hear the full interview.