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 a riot and injured a magistrate on Saturday after a blanket ban on cell phones in Gilgit’s sub-jail began being enforced.

Inmates smashed an empty teacup on a magistrate’s head when he tried to conduct a body search of inmates suspected of illegally using cell phones in prison, police and other sources said on Sunday. Prisoners also set furniture on fire and blocked police reinforcements from gaining access to the jail for over two hours.

Despite the ban, inmates were still using cell phones and when magistrate Muhammad Qurban conducted a raid including body searching inmates, one of them smashed an empty cup on his head, leaving him injured. He was later shifted to a hospital for treatment, but not without seizing a number of phones, leaving prisoners enraged. When police on duty retaliated, the convicts began torching furniture and other paraphernalia.

When inmates successfully prevented reinforcements from entering, the government sought help from clergymen to avoid bloodshed and diffuse the situation peacefully. After the delegation’s negotiation, police were allowed to enter the jail and the fires were extinguished by the fire brigade.

In July this year, authorities installed several jammers around both of the city’s jails to curb cell phone use. After finding that the jammers affected the services of all cellular networks outside of the jails as well, they were removed around two weeks later.

Gilgit Assistant Commissioner Usman Ahmed said that legally, inmates are entitled to accessing landline phones only, and even that must be in the presence of police officials, adding that this practice is used in jails all over the country.

Source

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An article discussing a New Zealand prison’s plans to install landlines in each prisoner’s cell, similar to what has been done in two British prisons. The reason it is being considered is because, according to the article, “Evidence shows that prisoners are less likely to re-offend if they keep in touch with their families and have good family support when they are released.” Wouldn’t a secure prison cell phone service like meshDETECT be a simpler and more cost effective way to give the prisoners access to telephone services in their cells?

Corrections Minister Judith Collins says she would have concerns about prisoners talking to their criminal mates if there were landline phones in prison cells.

Landlines are installed in the cells of two private prisons in Britain operated by British company Serco, which will run the controversial new Mt Eden Corrections Facility in Auckland from August 1.

The Mt Eden facility has phones in communal areas, but there are currently no plans for them to be installed in cells.

Ms Collins today said she would have a few issues with phones in every cell.

”The first would be that they obviously wouldn’t want to be having prisoners talking to criminal mates every night. That wouldn’t be acceptable and quite clearly any phone calls on landlines would have to monitored, and scrupulously so, as they are now.

”I’d want to also be reassured that this would assist rehabilitations.”

Ms Collins said prisoners already had access to landline phones, as required by the UN treaties New Zealand has signed.

Asked if she would say no to phones in prison cells, Ms Collins said she would want any phone lines to be scrupulously monitored.

”Public safety has to come first … I’d expect to see some very compelling evidence that it assisted rehabilitations before I’d even think about it,” she said.

Serco spokesman Paul Shaw said the communal phones at Mt Eden prison could be accessed throughout the hours prisoners were unlocked – when they were not in their cells, or in work or training. Prisoners paid for calls by purchasing phonecards.

”The phones use a system which allows prisoners to ring certain pre-approved numbers, and calls can be monitored for security purposes,” he said.

Serco believed it was important for prisoners to maintain contact with their families, he said.

”Evidence shows that prisoners are less likely to re-offend if they keep in touch with their families and have good family support when they are released.”

Having landlines in communal areas was consistent with other New Zealand prisons and the majority of prisons Serco operated across the world, including two in Australia.

The Mt Eden prison is the first since 2005 to be managed by a private sector contractor.

Opposition parties have consistently condemned the move and concerns have been raised about problems at overseas prisons run by Serco.

International reports have linked some Serco prisons with violence, overcrowding and poor health care.

Source

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