It’s not just prison staff who attempt to smuggle cell phones and other contraband into prisons. Friends, family and former inmates are enticed to smuggle by the high contraband value of items such as wireless phones. Drugs will always be in demand in prisons, but the contraband value of cell phones can be reduced by supplying a legitimate alternative such as the meshDETECT secure cell phone solution.

Two men, including a former inmate, were arrested earlier this week for attempting to introduce contraband into California State Prison, Sacramento in Folsom.

On Sunday, Aug. 28, the Investigative Services Unit at the prison arrested two men suspected of delivering contraband to inmates inside the facility, said Sgt. Tony Quinn, public information officer at California State Prison, Sacramento.

Harley Schroeder, 29, a former inmate, was allegedly attempting to deliver contraband inside the prison when he was arrested by prison officials at 12:10 a.m.

Prison officials arrested Schroeder and Robert Hanna, 28, the driver of the vehicle, and transported both men to the Folsom Police Department, Quinn said.

Schroeder and Hanna were both booked into Sacramento County Jail.

Quinn said Schroeder was seen exiting a car near the prison and was then spotting running and climbing a dirt embankment to get into prison property. Schroeder then allegedly scaled a barbed-wire perimeter security fence, Quinn said.

“These guys are trying to sneak onto prison grounds to transfer these substances,” Quinn said.

Prison correctional officers requested the assistance of Folsom Police Department officers in the arrest.

“We were asked to stop the driver (Hanna) in a marked patrol car,” said Sgt. Jason Browning, Folsom Police Department public information officer. “We detained him on behalf of the prison correctional officers.”

Prison staff located and detained Schroeder and conducted a search of the bag he was allegedly attempting to deliver.

Inside the bag prison officials found approximately nine cell phones, methamphetamines, black tar heroin, marijuana, cell phone chargers, Micro SD memory cards, three lighters, smoking papers, and a glass pipe normally used for inhaling controlled substances.

The items found in the bag, and the method by which the suspects were attempting to gain access to the prison, is not uncommon, Quinn said.

“This happens more than suspected,” Quinn said. “But we have been working proactively to control it. We now have more officers patrolling the prison grounds frequently throughout the night.”

Quinn said there was no connection that he is aware of between this incident and Marvin L. Ussrey, the man who broke onto prison grounds on Aug. 11.

Prison officials said there has been a rise in the risks civilians, especially former inmates, will take to bring contraband into correctional facilities.

“They are not breaking into the prison, they are transferring contraband onto the facility,” Browning said. “These are coordinated acts between the individuals and the inmates.”

Still Browning said it is important for surrounding residents to be proactive if suspicious behavior is noticed.

“If you see a suspicious act like vehicles stopped along the roadway or someone entering the prison ground, contact us immediately,” Browning said.

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The smuggling of cellphones into California prisons continues, even as the legislation to criminalize contraband cell phone smuggling moves forward in the legislature.

Staff at Avenal State Prison last week found cellphones, cellphone batteries and chargers and tobacco after a sergeant noticed a security fence breach on the south of the facility.

The discovery on Friday came one day after a key legislative committee approved Senate Bill 26, which would criminalize smuggling wireless devices into prison facilities.

According to the Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation, the discovery netted two bags filled with:

• 173 bundles of tobacco weighing approximately 17 pounds
• 25 cellular phones
• 26 cell phone chargers
• 11 cell phone batteries
• 5 cigarette lighters
• 1 pair of cell phone ear-buds
• 3 Micro SD memory cards

SB 26, authored by Sen. Alex Padilla, D-Los Angeles, would make smuggling cellphones or other wireless devices punishable by six months in jail and a fine of up to $5,000 per device. Inmates caught with a device would permanently lose up to 90 days of sentence credits.

The measure also includes language that protects anyone from prosecution who accidentally brings a cellphone into a prison, protects cellphone data from unwarranted inspection by the state and requires that the new inmate phone system contract may not increase the cost of inmate calls.

A committee analysis of the bill notes:

A sample of search results through June 2011 shows 673 searches, resulting in the following contraband: 471 cell phones; 450 flash drives; 125 DVDs; 697 CDs; 110 iPods; 302 lighters or matches; 4,678 miscellaneous contraband objects.

These 673 searches also resulted in 1,156 disciplinary letters of instruction pending review by the warden, and 337 disciplinary referrals to internal affairs.

The Assembly Appropriations Committee approved the measure 17-0 on Thursday, setting the stage for a vote by the full chamber.

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This brief article mentions that 104 contraband prison cell phones had a prison value of $50,000. That’s $480 per smuggled prison cell phone.

Ironwood State Prison (ISP) Warden Timothy Busby announced the donation of 104 cell phones, cell phone chargers and other cell phone related items to the “Cell Phone for Soldiers” Organization.

It was founded in 2004 and it turns old cell phones into prepaid calling cards for U.S. troops stationed overseas. They are a non-profit organization and have raised almost $2 million in donations and distributed more than 500,000 prepaid calling cards to soldiers serving overseas.

The phones and items were confiscated from ISP inmates as contraband items and refurbished for use. The cell phones have an estimated prison value of over $50,000.

“This is a good way to support our soldiers in need,” said Busby. “When you can donate to a worthy cause with no cost to the tax payers, it’s a great thing.”

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