An article highlighting the money to be made by corrupt prison employees meeting the demand for contraband prison cell phones. This also highlights the need for a demand-side strategy to the problem of smuggled cell phones in prison. A federal grand jury has indicted a California prison worker on charges that he accepted bribes from prisoners in exchange for cell phones and cigarettes. U.S. Attorney Laura Duffy says medical office technician David Zamudio has been […]
Prison Cell Phones
289 posts
An article on the corrupting influence of prisoner demand for contraband items, and the willingness to pay for those items, has on correctional officers. Contraband smuggling in prisons is a problem of supply and demand. Prison initiatives to reduce contraband, such as smuggled cellphones, should include strategies to reduce demand as well as prevent supply. The meshDETECT secure prison cell phone solution co-opts the demand for smuggled cell phones, and therefore the contraband value of […]
A recent study demonstrated the impact connection and communication with family has on reducing recidivism. Specifically, the impact of visitation on recidivism. The study also found that nearly 40 percent of prisoners were not visited once while in prison. It is clear from this study that by providing a more frequent and better means of communicating for both those who receive visitors, and especially for those who do not, recidivism can be reduced. One means […]
There are a couple of interesting aspects to this article. First, that there was a riot due to contraband cell phones being confiscated. Clearly, the motivation for the anger was the potential loss of contact with loved ones. The other is the fact that jammers had been installed at this prison in Pakistan, but were removed because “the jammers affected the services of all cellular networks outside of the jails as well.” Jailed prisoners started […]
An update on the progress of a proposed law in Michigan to add tougher penalties to the law prohibiting contraband cell phone use by prisoners. The article states, “Roesler said the main concern with inmates possessing a cellphone has more to do with security than the inmate being able to call out of the jail. With the cell phones now, they act as cameras and computers as a way to communicate and receive information. They […]
Here is another example of wireless airtime as new form of prison currency. According to the article, “inmates used a contraband cell phone for a short time in April and May of this year. The phone was used to make 1,375 unauthorized calls from jail, including 367 calls to online retailers, banks, and shipping businesses. Authorities believe Volk arranged fraudulent commissary trust account deposits as payment for access to the cell phone.” Prisons can devalue […]
Illinois becomes the latest state DOC to investigate the use of legislation and technology to block the use of smuggled cell phones in prison. Although the use of contraband cell phones seems to be less of a problem than in other large inmate population states. That’s the latest message from state officials, who are poised to start cracking down on people who try to smuggle portable phones into prison. Faced with the prospect that inmates […]
The following is a description of how a contraband cell phone was smuggled into the Delaware County, IN jail by using a string to bring it in through a window! The methods used to smuggle cell phones into prison seem to be endless. The inmate stated that the reason he smuggled the phone is because he was unable to access a jail phone. As is frequently the case, the main demand driving cell phone smuggling […]
This jail in India is going all out to try to prevent the smuggling and use of contraband cell phones. This includes the use of 33 wireless signal jammers, 20 deep search metal detectors, 10 K9s and 233 new CCTV cameras. New Delhi: Exposing lax security in the largest jail complex in South Asia, six mobile phones have been found inside the jails in Tihar and 13 additional phones seized at its jail deories this […]
Recent statistics show that, on average, a day in state prison costs nearly $80 Cash-strapped states have increasingly turned to user fees to fund their criminal justice systems, as well as to provide general budgetary support. States now charge defendants for everything from probation supervision, to jail stays, to the use of a constitutionally-required public defender. Every stage of the criminal justice process, it seems, has become ripe for a surcharge. These “user fees” differ […]