Here is the latest summary of recent news articles regarding contraband cell phones in prisons around the world. I am calling this round up of articles, “Wireless Prison Payphone™ Briefs” because this is essentially what smuggled mobile phones in jails have become – a substitute for the current wall mounted prison payphones. Alabama Inmates With Illegal Cell Phone Active On Facebook: “Cell phones are against the law, that’s a new bill that just passed last […]
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An article on the problems of contraband smuggling in Indiana jails discusses the unique problems posed by contraband smartphones and the access to the internet they provide prisoners. That internet access is used to update social media sites such as Facebook. The custom meshDETECT secure prison cell phones do not allow internet or social media application access. While tobacco and drugs are still popular forms of contraband among inmates, cellphones – especially smartphones – are […]
Using contraband cell phones to communicate via social media is increasingly a problem in prisons around the country. Cell phones equipped with internet access and cameras give prisoners the ability to access and post updates and images on Facebook and Twitter. As this article states, cell phones are “contraband that can fetch $1,000 in prison, or $100 to borrow for one call.” The meshDETECT secure prison cell phone solution blocks internet and camera access on […]
An article discussing the steps the Mississippi DOC is taking to address the supply of contraband cell phones in its prisons. According the Department of Corrections Commissioner Christopher Epps, “Cell phones are the biggest contraband items that we have. It’s a national problem in corrections.” The article also discuss the managed access wireless signal jammer installed at the Parchman facility. The system has blocked about 1.8 million illegal cell phone calls and text messages. The […]
Yet another instance of a prisoner using a contraband cell phone with internet access to post on Facebook. The meshDETECT secure prison cell phones do not allow internet access. The sister of a murder victim is calling for Indiana prison officials to remove a Facebook profile for an inmate at the Wabash Valley Correctional Facility in Carlisle. Quintez Deloney, 20, of New Albany, is serving a 38-year sentence for a burglary that led to the […]
Another story about a prisoner using a contraband cell phone to post photos on Facebook. This one is from the UK. We have written about the posting of pictures to Facebook before (here and here). This is a significant issue for prison officials and crime victims alike, caused by the growing problem of smuggled cell phones in prison. Posing for a secret camera in a jail cell packed with goodies, this is teenage murderer Liam […]
A report on the problem of contraband cell phones in prison and the use of Facebook by prisoners while in jail. Busted! Prison Cell Phones from Scott Noll on Vimeo.
The problem of contraband cell phones in prison is not limited to unmonitored phone calls. Internet access via smuggled smartphones allows prisoners to harass victims and witnesses via social networks like Facebook. The meshDETECT secure prison cell phone solution has no internet access or camera capabilities. Lisa Gesik hesitates to log into her Facebook account nowadays because of unwanted “friend” requests, not from long-ago classmates but from the ex-husband now in prison for kidnapping her […]
An interesting article about the growth of gangs in prison in Idaho and the increase in smuggled contraband cell phones as a result. Part of the strategy, as in other states such as California, is a legistative initiative to increase the penalty for smuggling cell phones. The article quotes an official, “We want to make it a felony to introduce cellphones within a prison. If they can make calls without going through the monitored phone […]
No technology is perfect, and that includes cell phone jamming technology. The real issue here is how compromised is the wireless blocking system installed at Parchman to combat contraband cell phones? The meshDETECT secure cell phone service has no internet access available so prisoners cannot access Facebook or Twitter. An inmate inside a Mid-South prison has been able to take pictures and post them online, despite a high-tech blocking technology put in place to keep […]
The Washington State Department of corrections has asked Facebook to remove inmate Facebook pages. It joins California in trying to stop the social media activity of prisoners. Internet access on smuggled cell phones is not thought to be a major contributor to the problem, but over time this will change. Facebook, which has become the ultimate time killer, will likely no longer be permitted for people serving time. The Washington state Department of Corrections (DOC) […]
One of the main problems with contraband cell phones smuggled into prisons is the use of the internet via these wireless devices. Detainees then use the smuggled phones to access Twitter and Facebook. The meshDETECT secure cell phone solution offers an alternative to contraband cell phones and do not have internet access or other common features such as cameras. They are uniquely provisioned for a prison environment. Call it the anti-social network! Facebook is stepping […]
Contraband prison cell phones are as much of a problem in federal prisons as they are in state facilities. The smuggling of cell phones into jails and prisons continues to grow and, as this article states, “The Federal Bureau of Prisons confiscated more than 2,600 cell phones from minimum-security facilities like FCI Seagoville, and nearly 600 from secure federal institutions in 2009.” That number surely grew in 2010 and 2011. Two cell phones were discovered […]