Since the first high profile prison managed access system (MAS) jammer deployment to thwart contraband cell phones at the MDOC facility in Parchman, MS., state departments of correction around the country have been evaluating the technology for potential deployment.

The California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation (CDCR) announced a statewide deployment of cell phone jammers, despite high profile concerns about their effectiveness. And recently, Texas and Maryland moved to test the technology in their prison facilities.

Given these high profile initiatives and the high cost of the systems, it is not surprising that new MAS providers have moved into the market to challenge the incumbent, Tecore. A review of recent FCC Experimental Licensing System applications show the following firms deploying and testing managed access jamming systems in state prisons around the country:

Update (3/28/13): Screened Images has applied for FCC Experimental Licensing at:

• Avenal (KINGS), CA (0276-EX-ST-2013)
• Avenal (KINGS), CA (0178-EX-PL-2013)
• Leakesville, MS (0220-EX-ST-2013)

Update (2/9/13): Screened Images has applied for FCC Experimental Licensing at:

• California Corrections Center (0107-EX-ST-2013)
• High Desert State Prison (0108-EX-ST-2013)
• Pelican Bay State Prison (0109-EX-ST-2013)
• California Health Care Facility (0112-EX-ST-2013)

Update (2/4/13): Screened Images has applied for FCC Experimental Licensing at:

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If prisoners can have access to MP3 players, video games, email, and cable TV, why not cell phones? After all, contraband cell phones are a huge problem. In California alone, over 15,000 smuggled cell phones were confiscated from prisoners in 2011.

Clearly, there is a demand for more communication by prisoners. Why not provide them a secure prison cell phone solution that maintains all the security and forensic capabilities of prison pay phones? Access to convenient and private communications with family and friends via a cell phone will be a compelling reason to behave, lest the privilege be revoked.

If California’s prisons chief had his way, well-behaved inmates would have access to music, video games and cable television.

Corrections Secretary Matt Cate told a group of journalists this week in New York City, where he was speaking on a panel at the John Jay College of Criminal Justice, that state prisons have become so punitive there is “very little benefit in obeying the rules.”

“If you take everything away from a person, you also take away their ability to influence their behavior,” he said. “I think, ultimately, I’d like to get to a place where 95 percent of our prisons are places where inmates have everything from MP3 players to Xbox to cable TV, I don’t care, they can have (all the) goodies you can possibly get, great, as long as they follow the rules … and our guards are safe.”

Cate, who has been tasked with implementing a court-ordered, 33,000-inmate reduction in the state’s prison population, said overcrowding has made it particularly difficult to work with inmates.

He said the way to loosen the grip gangs have on the inside is to cut drug use, perhaps through more drug testing. “You have got to get a hold of the drug problem… I think the gangs get a lot of power and money and influence from selling drugs in prison. It’s a huge problem,” Cate said.

Source

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This article discusses the impact prison telephone service commissions have on the overall cost of prisoner’s calling loved ones. The article quotes the recent GAO study on contraband cell phones at the BOP, “lowering rates could increase communication between inmates and their families, helping the inmates reintegrate when they got out of prison. But there would be less money available for things like paying wages for inmate labor and offering education and recreational activities.” Bureau of Prison officials told the GAO that the programs were important because “inmate idleness increases the risk of violence, escapes and other disruptions”

Another approach to enhanced prisoner communication and reduced idleness is to offer a secure cell phone service. Prisoners will have many more opportunities to communicate with family, commissions can be lowered because overall call usage (and therefore total revenue) will increase and contraband cell phone usage will be reduced.

Kimberly Scardina-Gomez has pawned jewelry and even skipped paying the electric bill so she can afford for her 16-year-old son to talk on the phone with his father, who is serving a robbery sentence at a state prison in Illinois.

What really irks her is that phone companies are giving a chunk of the revenue they make from handling calls for families like hers — 42 percent is typical, according to an analysis finished this year— back to jail and prison operators in exchange for the business.

Prison Legal News, a West Brattleboro, Vt.-based publication that advocates for the rights of inmates, found that among state prison systems, commissions cost prisoners’ families, friends and attorneys more than $152 million in 2008, the year studied. A report released this month by the Government Accountability Office found that of the $74 million in revenue generated in 2010 by the Bureau of Prisons’ inmate telephone system, about $34 million was profit.

Under pressure, states such as Kansas and Florida have reduced commissions while others such as Nebraska and New York have stopped accepting commissions. In California, which ended commissions earlier this year, phone rates declined by 61 percent, Prison Legal News found. Advocacy groups want more prison and jail operators to follow suit or persuade the Federal Communications Commission to establish caps on inmate phone rates.

“It’s not fair,” said Scardina-Gomez, a 35-year-old laid off paralegal and second-year law student from Chicago. “You see all kinds of studies talking about how to reduce recidivism, how to stop repeat offenders. Things of that nature all start with family structure. They all start with positive reinforcement, yet they don’t try to reinforce that at all.”

Because of the commissions, receiving calls from inmates cost as much as $15 to $25 for a 15-minute conversation — often five times as high as ordinary collect call rates.

“Whenever you’ve got money in the mix, it’s hard to get away from it,” said Paul Wright, editor of Prison Legal News. “It’s like telling a crack addict to lay off the dope. Even if they know they should, it’s hard to get them to do it.”

The GAO, which studied phone rates as part of a larger report on contraband cell phones being snuck into federal prisons, said lowering rates could increase communication between inmates and their families, helping the inmates reintegrate when they got out of prison. But it said there would be less money available for things like paying wages for inmate labor and offering education and recreational activities.

Bureau of Prison officials told the GAO that the programs were important because “inmate idleness increases the risk of violence, escapes and other disruptions” but noted that Congress would be unlikely to chip in the money. Even critics of the commissions acknowledge it’s tough to generate sympathy for inmates, and Wright said their families are “right up there with single welfare moms and illegal immigrants as far as bashable, disenfranchised constituencies that no one gets too concerned about.”

And the expense isn’t just borne by the families of the 2.3 million people incarcerated in U.S. jails and prisons but often by the attorneys who represent them — a practice that some groups allege discourages attorneys from talking to their clients.

The phone companies defend the rates in briefs filed with the FCC, saying their phone systems require costly security devices to keep inmates from harassing potential witnesses or orchestrating crimes from behind bars.

Plus, states and counties — many of them facing deficits because of the recession — have become dependent on the money they earn from the commissions.

“It offsets other costs and allows certain programs for inmates to continue — some training programs, some rehab programs,” said Fred Wilson, director of operations for the National Sheriff’s Association. “However, we have taken a stand and said the rates need to be reasonable.”

Stephanie Joyce, an attorney for Dallas-based inmate communication provider Securus Technologies Inc., which offers phone service for about 2,300 correctional facilities in 44 states, said the issue of who pays for jails and prisons is one for policymakers to decide and that Securus merely collects the commissions when contracts require it to do so.

“If my client doesn’t want to go bankrupt and pay out more than it takes in, then the site commissions must be recovered,” Joyce said. “It wasn’t Securus’ decision to invent site commissions.”

Fifty-five-year-old Samella Green has benefited from a 40-percent reduction in phone rates in Kansas. But the Wichita woman and her husband, who live on federal disability payments, still spend about $200 a month to talk to four incarcerated relatives.

“It’s an enormous weight for people to carry because so many people have family in there,” she said.

Source

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Another prison, another guard, another contraband cell phone…

A Corrections Officer has been arrested and charged for his alleged participation in delivering contraband to an inmate.

The Western Correctional Institution (WCI) Officer is facing termination after prison intelligence officers suspected he was attempting to bring contraband to an inmate and notified local and federal law enforcement authorities.

Officer Brian Hawk, 33, a 9 year veteran of the Division of Corrections is now faces charges of attempting to deliver cell phones and tobacco to an inmate.

The Division of Correction has already begun the process of placing the officer on leave with the intent to terminate his employment. The case began as alert investigative officers at WCI noticed irregularities surrounding the activities of a particular inmate.

The subsequent investigation revealed an alleged scheme involving the inmate, a correctional officer and a citizen on the outside.

Early Thursday morning, officers intercepted what they believe to be a delivery of two cell phones with chargers, tobacco and $1,000 cash to a WCI correctional officer.

The citizen that was carrying these items, confessed to being in the process of making the delivery to Hawk, a delivery that law enforcement officers witnessed a few minutes later near the prison.

Officers confiscated the items from the correctional officer as he arrived at WCI and placed him under arrest.

Cell phones, tobacco and cash are all considered contraband in a state prison.

Source

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This article on California’s contraband prison cell phone problem speaks for itself…But a key statement is, “Both prison officials and inmates we spoke with agreed that a large majority of inmates are using the phones to stay in contact with loved ones.” A secure prison cell phone service will reduce the contraband value of smuggled cell phones and allow detainees to keep in contact with loved ones.

The smuggling of cell phones into California’s state prisons has exploded since KCRA 3 first documented this story a year ago.

“We know the problem is out of control,” State Sen. Alex Padilla said.

In 2007, nearly 1,400 cell phones were seized, according to the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation.

In 2010, the number of contraband cell phones discovered had exploded to 10,761, according to the CDCR.

CDCR spokesperson Paul Verke said that better detection, including the use of specially trained dog teams, has played a role in the increasing numbers.

However, one inmate told KCRA 3 that prison guards, staff and vendors are cashing in on smuggled phones that can fetch between $200 to $800.

“The staff are bringing them in,” Dwight Debose said.

“It happens, but it is very rare. We’re talking four to five staff a year that we discover and dismiss as a result of their actions,” said Folsom Prison Warden Rick Hill.

Both prison officials and inmates we spoke with agreed that a large majority of inmates are using the phones to stay in contact with loved ones. But, there have been documented cases of escape attempts, drug deals and conference calls coordinated via smuggled cell phones, according to CDCR sources.

“The potential is there for the worst kind of activity,” Hill said.

One of the problems is that it is not illegal for someone to smuggle a cell phone into a state prison, said Padilla. Because of that fact, he believes the potential profit of black market phones is worth risking termination of employment. Because of that he has proposed making such smuggling illegal in hopes of stopping the continued rise of contraband cell phones in prison.

“If you are caught smuggling a cell phone into prison, you’re going to serve time too. Or, certainly pay a steep, steep fine,” added Padilla.

Source

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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.”

Source

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This article shows what a business operation the smuggling of cell phones into prison has become. Contraband cell phones have become as desired as drugs in prisons and jails. The contraband value of these smuggled cell phones can be reduced by providing an alternative, prison sanctioned, secure cell phone service.

Luis S. Roman, 48, of Avenel, was sentenced to five years in state prison without possibility of parole by Superior Court Judge Bradley J. Ferencz in Middlesex County. He pleaded guilty to official misconduct, admitting that he smuggled cell phones and drugs into the prison for a network of inmates who solicited customers and distributed the contraband. He smuggled contraband into the prison several times a week, including pre-paid cell phones, cocaine, heroin, and marijuana, hiding the items in his protective vest and boots.

Quadir Barnes, an inmate at Northern State Prison in Newark, pleaded guilty Monday to being a member of a network that smuggled pre-paid cell phones and drugs into the prison.

His sister and two inmates who were customers also pleaded guilty Monday.

Barnes, 32, pleaded guilty to a second-degree charge of racketeering before state Superior Court Judge Mathias E. Rodriguez in New Brunswick, state Criminal Justice Director Stephen J. Taylor said.

Under a plea agreement, the state will recommend that he be sentenced to six years in state prison, with the sentence to run consecutive to his current sentence.

In pleading guilty, Barnes admitted that he was part of a network of inmates who solicited customers and distributed cell phones and narcotics that were smuggled into the prison by a former corrections officer, Luis S. Roman, 47, of Woodbridge. Roman pleaded guilty on April 18 to charges of racketeering and official misconduct. The state will recommend he be sentenced to 14 years in state prison, including five years of parole ineligibility.

Barnes, Roman and 17 other people who allegedly distributed contraband in the prison or acted as accomplices outside the prison were charged with racketeering and conspiracy in a state grand jury indictment obtained by the Division of Criminal Justice on Sept. 15. Separate indictments obtained that month charged 16 inmates who bought contraband.

The investigation revealed that Roman smuggled contraband into the prison several times a week, including pre-paid cell phones, cocaine, heroin, and marijuana, hiding the items in his protective vest and boots. The inmates who acted as distributors had family members or friends outside the prison who allegedly acted as accomplices by buying phones and drugs and packaging them for delivery to Roman. The investigation revealed that inmates paid for the items by having money wired to Roman’s wife or another accomplice on the outside.

The state Department of Corrections Special Investigations Division began looking into the possibility of a correction officer or other prison worker smuggling contraband into Northern State after numerous wireless phones of the same makes and models were confiscated from inmates.

A joint investigation by the State Police and the Corrections Department began in July 2009. Roman’s smuggling continued from at least August 2007 to Nov. 14, 2009, when he was arrested with his wife. Ann Marie Roman, 36, of Woodbridge, who now is divorced from Luis Roman, pleaded guilty on Sept. 14 to second-degree conspiracy to commit bribery. She admitted that, at her husband’s direction, she received thousands of dollars through Western Union and Money Gram as payment for smuggled items.

Roman allegedly used two trusted inmates at Northern State as his organizers or middle men. The inmates, Angel Vasquez, 53, and Willie Wade, 46, in turn allegedly employed numerous other inmates, including Barnes, as distributors to canvass the prison for customers. The customers agreed to pay a fee for the contraband. For example, if an inmate wanted a pre-paid cell phone, he would have to pay up to $400, plus an additional $200 as a “shipment fee.”

At each level of the organization, middle-men and distributors received a certain amount of money. Once the contraband was smuggled in, Roman allegedly would pass it along to his middle men, who would give it to the distributor inmates, frequently kitchen and laundry workers, who would distribute the contraband throughout the prison. The indictments are merely accusations and the remaining defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty.

Source

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