meshDETECT, Secure Prison Cell Phone Solutions ™
meshDETECT, Secure Prison Cell Phone Solutions ™

Prison Fight Blamed on ‘Illegal Cell Phones’

Contraband cell phones are being blamed for this incident in a Georgia prison.

According to the prison commissioner, “Every day we fight the battle of keeping cell phones and other contraband out of our facilities. While some believe supplying an inmate with a cell phone is useful to contact family and friends, in most cases, the opposite is proven. Inmates are using cell phones to commit additional crimes and carry out gang activity. This incident also illustrates the physical dangers of cell phones in prisons. By supplying an inmate with a cell phone, the safety of everyone at the facility is jeopardized.”

While is is true that smuggled cell phones in prisons are unmonitored, unsecured and inappropriately used, the meshDETECT secure prison cell phone solution provides all the security and forensic capabilities of traditional prison land-line phones. No calls, other than to approved parties, can be made. There is no reason for one prisoner to fight to take another’s cell phone because it can not be used to call unapproved phone numbers.

The state Department of Corrections says “illegal cell phones” in prison were the cause of Monday night’s fight at the Telfair State Prison.

Two dorms are still on lockdown after a major fight, according to Georgia Department of Corrections spokeswoman Gwendolyn Hogan.

She says three inmates were taken to the hospital, and two are in stable condition.

According to the news release, state Commissioner Brian Owens said, “This incident brings to light the serious dangers of cell phones in our prison system.

“Every day we fight the battle of keeping cell phones and other contraband out of our facilities. While some believe supplying an inmate with a cell phone is useful to contact family and friends, in most cases, the opposite is proven. Inmates are using cell phones to commit additional crimes and carry out gang activity. This incident also illustrates the physical dangers of cell phones in prisons. By supplying an inmate with a cell phone, the safety of everyone at the facility is jeopardized,” added Owens.

According to the news release, it’s illegal for Georgia prison inmates to possess telecommunications devices, and it’s illegal for anyone else to give them one.

The penalty is one to five years in prison.

The news release did not explain the role of cell phones in the fight and Hogan did not return phone calls from 13WMAZ.

Hogan says one staff member suffered a leg injury during the fight, and that officials have the prison under control.

She also says no inmates escaped.

A dispatcher with the Telfair County Sheriff’s Office says they were called to the prison around 7 p.m., but had no further information. The Dodge County Sheriff’s Office says they were also called to assist at the prison.

Source

Brian