In this instance it appears a contraband cell phone in a South Carolina prison may have been used for a good purpose – to alert authorities to a riot in progress. Cellphones played a prominent role in the Lee County prison riot that that ended in the early-morning hours Wednesday with tear gas and the release of a guard being held captive. Cellphones like the ones that inmates used to talk with officials during the […]
Prison Cell Phones
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This article excerpted below from the CBC News discusses the efforts in Canadian Federal Prisons to detect and confiscate drugs smuggled to prisoners. Much like the efforts to stop contraband cell phones, the focus is almost entirely on new technology to identify and eliminate supply, with much less effort in addressing the demand. Figures on seizures in federal institutions from the last fiscal year show traditional methods like security staff and sniffer dogs have been […]
A recent article on the website of the British newspaper The Guardian discusses the impact of the high cost of telephone calls from U.S. prisons. This issue has become more and more prominent, culminating in the recent bipartisan letter to the FCC calling on the Federal Communications Commission to stop phone companies from charging inmates what they call unreasonable and predatory rates to make phone calls. The Guardian article highlights the critical importance of telephone […]
A bipartisan group of prison reformers is calling on the Federal Communications Commission to stop phone companies from charging inmates what they call unreasonable and predatory rates to make phone calls. The letter is signed by conservative leaders such as Gary Bauer and David Keene, as well as civil rights groups such as The Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights, the NAACP, the National Council of La Raza, and the National Organization for Women. […]
A news report about smuggled cell phone sniffing dogs used in the Arizona Department of Corrections. Highlights from the report include: The dogs spend 9 weeks — 320 hours — learning how to detect cell phones. Contraband wireless phones that can be bought for as little as $40 on the outside go for as much as $800-1,200 on the inside. They’re smuggled in by friends and family during visits, by staff, even purchased during work […]
As we have written previously, the CDCR has forgone all prison telephone commissions as part of a new contract with Global Tel*link (GTL) in return for GTL installing managed access signal (MAS) jamming systems in all 33 of the CRDR’s prison facilities. However, the California Council on Science and Technology (CCST) released a report today advising the State of California to use security screening systems, similar to those in airports, in state prisons before investing […]
Update (4/14): The DOJ just announced that it will require Federal Bureau of Prison halfway houses to boost services for inmates prior to release. The new rules also instruct federal work release facilities to provide cell phone access in order to help inmates seek employment opportunities. This blog post written by Seth Ferranti, a Federal Bureau of Prisons inmate, provides an inside view of the problem of contraband cell phones in federal prison. As we […]
This is a great article discussing the value and need for more communication between prison detainees in order to reduce recidivism. As the article states, “Phone calls can mean the difference between maintaining relationships that make leading a healthy life outside of prison or falling into a cycle of moving in and out of prison.” High cost is part of the reason for the epidemic of contraband cell phones being smuggled into prisons everywhere. There […]
This editorial on impact of budget problems in the State of South Carolina on the prison system highlights the resulting lack of resources. We have written about the search for new sources of revenue by prison systems around the country. Adequate funding for prisons is necessary for programs to reduce recidivism. As this article states, “After all, most of those who are doing prison time eventually will be released. Rehabilitation can help prepare inmates for […]
Continuing a trend to fight contraband cell phones in prisons through the deployment of managed access cell phone signal jammers, Maryland has become the latest state to investigate the technology. Maryland has received a federal grant to help fight cell phone use in prisons. The Maryland Department of Public Safety and Correctional Services announced a $2 million contract over three years with Columbia, Md.-based Tecore Networks to deploy technology known as managed access. The system […]