Officials Target Cellphones in IL Prisons

[me]

Officials target cellphones in Ill. prisons

By Kurt Erickson
Posted: Wednesday, December 7, 2011 3:04 pm

.SPRINGFIELD -- No cellphones in the cell block.

That's the latest message from state officials, who are poised to start cracking down on people who try to smuggle portable phones into prison.

Faced with the prospect that inmates could be using smuggled cellphones to plan escapes or run criminal enterprises, the Illinois Department of Corrections is asking companies how much it would cost for them to install special equipment at Illinois' nearly 30 prisons that might detect whether illegal cellphone calls are being made from within the prison walls.

The scanning technology is just one front in the state's battle against cellphones.

State Sen. Ira Silverstein, D-Chicago, recently introduced legislation that would strip an inmate of up to 90 days of credit against their sentences if they are found in possession of a cellular phone.

The push in Illinois comes just a month after California approved similar measures designed to stop the flow of cellphones into their prison system. The sponsor of that legislation said the number of cellphones confiscated in California prisons grew from 261 in 2006 to more than 10,700 in 2010.

In Illinois, however, Corrections' officials say the number of cellphones flowing into the prison system is a mere trickle.

"It is not a common occurrence. The average is about five cellphones confiscated per year, but we are at eight for this year, so it is up a little," said IDOC spokeswoman Sharyn Elman.

It has been a problem elsewhere.

A National Institute of Justice report on cellphones in prison notes a number of examples where phones played a role in potential crimes.

In Nevada, the report noted, prison officials fired a dental assistant for helping an inmate get a cellphone to plan a successful escape. In New York, an inmate used a cellphone to orchestrate an attempted escape while on a medical transfer.

The federal report added that prison officials in Tennessee banned jars of peanut butter after learning that an inmate accused in the shooting death of a guard had used a jar to hide the cellphone he used to coordinate his escape.

For now, Illinois officials are not saying how much they are willing to spend on one of a number of potential systems designed to thwart inmates from using cellphones smuggled to them in prisons.

"We have no plans to utilize this service at this point," Elman added. "We are simply requesting information to learn more about what is available."

In the meantime, Illinois inmates are still allowed some phone privileges using older, landline technology.

Under current state prison rules, all inmates have an approved list of numbers they are allowed to call using phones at each prison. For general population offenders who are not under any disciplinary measures there is no limit on collect calls or prepaid calls. The phone system will disconnect the call after 20 minutes but the offender can then dial it again if no one is waiting for the phone.

"If an offender is under any form of discipline his or her phone privileges can be limited to one call per month or no calls at all," Elman noted.



Read more: http://www.pantagraph.com/news/state-and-regional/officials-target-cellphones-in-ill-prisons/article_3d441f08-2117-11e1-8785-0019bb2963f4.html#ixzz1g0JgS4pH

[Skully]

nice... They can spend money on that but cant get our inmates more suitable clothing... Or mental health... Or drug counseling... *sigh*

[webmari]

I believe that the reason why this is not a big deal in IDOC prisons is, that the inmates are allowed to use regular phones and thus have access to phones. When I think of Texas and death row in particular, where nobody from the outside is ever even breathing the same air as the inmate, as they are behind glass and visitors are not even allowed to touch any of the food that comes out of the vending machines themselves. So and even on DR there were quite a few cell phones found and as a matter of fact, once an inmate even called a politician to threaten him and told him he is calling from DR which caused quite a commotion back then and with intense searches they found quite a few more. BUT then, those inmates on DR are not allowed to make phone calls at all, except for a, I think 5 minute call every 3 months at an indefinite time, so chances even are that the person may not be at home at that time. So, those people are deprived of human touch and even making a few phone calls to their loved ones and the fact that some of them had cell phones was certainly mostly because they needed to talk to their loved ones and not like they want to make believe to organise some crimes. Not that I am saying there are not some who would also do that, but certainly not the majority. So, those people even managed to get those cell phones and of course that is only possible with the help of some staff or others having access to DR. But I am sure if they were allowed to use the phones just like other inmates or at least at some extent, there would be less cell phones. But to think about installing costly devices for a few lousy phones that is a true waste of tax payers money IMO. So if Texas and some others who cut some inmates off those phone privileges have this problem to a higher extent, it is no wonder. It would be much easier to decrease the amount of cell phones by allowing inmates to make regular phone calls. But it is the tax payers money going to waste there rather than them even making money out of phone calls coming from a normal phone. Very logical ;-)

[me]

Illinois Seeks Equipment to Detect Illegal Phones

(01/25/2012)
SPRINGFIELD, Ill. — Cell phones in prisons have been a controversial issue for quite some time, but the Illinois Department of Corrections (IDOC) is now requesting information from companies regarding equipment to detect illegal cell phone calls within the prison grounds.

Other states have been dealing with cell phone contraband, especially California, where the number of confiscated cell phones grew from 261 in 2006 to more than 10,700 in 2010. Although Illinois’ numbers are much smaller, they are still increasing.

“It is not a common occurrence. The average is about five cell phones confiscated per year, but we are at eight for this year, so it is up a little,” said IDOC spokeswoman Sharyn Elman.

Cell phone contraband is a serious concern and results in a severe punishment for inmates who disobey the policies. State Sen. Ira Silverstein, D-Chicago, recently introduced legislation that would strip an inmate of up to 90 days of credit against their sentences if the inmate found in possession of a cell phone.

Illinois does not have any set plans to install systems to detect cell phone usage in the prison but officials are aware of the serious threats cell phones have to the safety and security of inmates, correctional officers and civilians outside the prison walls.

A National Institute of Justice report on cell phones in prison found a number of examples where cell phones played a role in crime. The report found an inmate used a cell phone to plan a successful escape in Nevada. A former dental assistant, who has since been fired by prison officials, provided the inmate with the cell phone. In New York, an inmate used a cell phone in an attempted escape while on a medical transfer.

According to the FBI, inmates often use cell phones to intimidate and threaten witnesses, transmit photographs — including offensive pictures sent to victims — orchestrate crimes, coordinate escapes, bribe prison officers and create security breaches.

“Cell phones are perhaps the worst type of contraband because, in most cases, they provide an easy, continuing connection back to the inmate’s life on the street — the type of lifestyle that led to them being incarcerated,” said a Maryland correctional official.

Inmates receive cell phones from some unlikely sources. According to the FBI, one correctional officer reported earning more than $100,000 by charging prisoners $100 to $400 per device. Inmates also benefiting from having a cell phone by charging other prisoners up to $50 for each phone call.

On the bright side, there are ways to monitor cell phone usage at prisons and cut down on the number of contraband cell phones entering the premises. Illinois has yet to announce a definite investment in cell phone detecting equipment but other states have set up systems to help them track, monitor and decrease cell phone use in prison.

“We have no plans to utilize this service at this point,” said Elman. “We are simply requesting information to learn more about what is available.”

The Maryland Department of Public Safety and Correctional Services uses canines trained specifically to detect wireless devices, including SIM cards, which prisoners often store separately to minimize lost information if a cell phone is confiscated.

“In fiscal year 2008 — 849 cell phones were found within the facility or intercepted outside the facility on prison grounds at 24 facilities,” said a Maryland correctional official.

Other solutions to limit the cell phone usage include jamming, which is a radio frequency technology used to disrupt cell phone signals. Jamming would help prisons detect and stop inmates from using cell phones. However, jamming is illegal according to section 333 of the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) Act of 1943. The penalty for jamming is a maximum fine of $11,000 per day and the potential for criminal prosecution.

Some states would like the FCC to revisit its anti-jamming policy and congress is currently researching the possibility of permitting jamming at prisons to prevent inmates’ ability to use cell phones. One bill under consideration would allow state governors or the director of the Federal Bureau of Prisons to petition the FCC to permit mobile jamming in prisons.

Despite the potential improvements jamming could mean for prisons, there are several drawbacks. Jamming was used at one correctional facility in the past and although it resulted in blocking signals from all potential inmates with cell phones, it also disabled cell phone service to more than 200,000 nearby residents. Safety is also a concern; jamming mobile service could affect police radio and cell phone reception in emergency response situations.

FBI officials believe the problem can be solved.

“This problem likely will not disappear in the near future. However, effective prevention strategies and workable policies can help minimize it,” according to a statement by the FBI.

http://www.correctionalnews.com/articles/2012/01/20/illinois-seeks-equipment-detect-illegal-phones

[Steadfast]

I have visited three prisons within the IDOC system, and there is no way I could possibly smuggle in a cell phone during visitation, as the search is that thorough.  Cell phones are not small enough to hide in a body cavity (at least not one I am familiar with), so I have to assume that they are being brought in by employees of the prison.  California really needs to start checking their prison employees upon arrival for work.  Over 10,000 cells phones in California prisons has to be an inside job.  Obviously the problem isn't with the inmates, but with the staff.

[Forevermah]

This story is out of California on what they plan on doing with their cell phone problems, interesting read:




The Associated Press
April 18, 2012, 09:10AM ET

Illegal prison cellphones being disabled in Calif

By GILLIAN FLACCUS


LOS ANGELES

A private company that owns the pay phones in California's prisons will pay millions of dollars to install technology that prevents inmates from using smuggled cell phones to make their calls instead.

The deal with Global Tel Link addresses the growing problem of cell phones within the nation's largest prison system, where the technology has been used by inmates to run criminal enterprises, intimidate witnesses and organize attacks on guards.

The move also comes at no cost to taxpayers because the private firm expects to see demand for its pay phones soar, Dana Simas, a spokeswoman from the Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation, said Tuesday.

"There are pay phones available on the yards, but if you were to go to them now, there's no one using them," she said. "They're empty and a couple of years ago there were lines hours long."

Beverly Schumock, an administration manager at Global Tel Link, referred questions to a company e-mail address for media inquiries. No one replied to an e-mail sent Tuesday by The Associated Press.

Global Tel expects to have the blocking technology running at the California State Prison in Solano by the end of the year and at all prisons within three years.

The state won't share in the profits Global Tel makes from the collect calls, but the company will pay an estimated $1 million for implementation and installation at each of the state's 33 prisons.

Global Tel will also pay an $800,000 annual fee to the California Technology Agency for the contract, and the agency will make sure the Mobile, Ala.-based firm doesn't hike calling rates, according to the contract.

The deal will mean slightly lower rates for collect calls than prisoners currently pay. A 15-minute local call will cost $1.50, while a 15-minute in-state, long-distance call will cost about $2, a decrease of a penny a minute. A 15-minute interstate call will cost $6.60, a decrease of nearly 22 cents a minute.

Last year, California prison guards confiscated nearly 11,000 contraband phones, a sharp increase from 2007 when only 1,400 were found. Even Charles Manson, arguably the state's most notorious inmate, has twice been caught with contraband phones.

Prison officials in some instances have deployed cell phone-sniffing dogs to search for the devices.

New legislation last year made it a misdemeanor to smuggle a cell phone into a prison, punishable by a fine of up to $5,000.

"This groundbreaking and momentous technology will enable (the prison system) to crack down on the potentially dangerous communications by inmates," Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation Secretary Matthew Cate said in a statement.

Under the new plan, each prison will get its own cell tower that can be controlled by prison officials. Approved phones will be able to send and receive signals, but contraband phones will be useless under the company's cellular umbrella. The deal marks the first time the technology will be used for a state's entire prison system.

Last year, during an 11-day test at two California institutions, the new technology detected 2,593 different wireless devices and blocked more than 25,000 attempts to make calls, send texts and e-mails, and log onto the Internet with a smart phone, according to prison officials.

Prison watchdog groups, however, are critical of the deal between the state and Global Tel Link, saying it gives the private company a monopoly on the collect calls inmates rely on to stay in touch with family. Inmate families are concerned that with cell phone-blocking technology, Global Tel will raise rates.

"If your mother was in prison, would you refuse a collect call? Would you refuse to talk to her? They know that those relationships are going to exist between human beings and they are going to exploit that and the state is willingly allowing the exploitation," said Dorsey Nunn, executive director of Legal Services for Prisoners with Children.

http://www.businessweek.com/ap/2012-04/D9U7BQIG0.htm