Once more, state prosecutors from different parts of the country are calling on Congress to pass a law that permits state prisons to block cellphone signals used by incarcerated individuals. These prosecutors argue that these devices enable prisoners to orchestrate violent acts and engage in criminal behavior.
In a letter addressed to House Speaker Kevin McCarthy and Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, a group of 22 Republican prosecutors, headed by South Carolina Attorney General Alan Wilson, expressed their plea for Congress to pass legislation. This legislation would empower states to implement a cell phone jamming system, aiming to protect inmates, guards, and the wider public.
Wilson's office has announced their intention to engage with Democratic state prosecutors, asserting that the issue is not a partisan matter.
A letter, provided to The Associated Press, has been brought forward by the attorneys. This letter outlines a number of criminal incidents that the attorneys claim were coordinated by prisoners using contraband cellphones. These incidents include a drug conspiracy in Tennessee and a double homicide that was reportedly ordered by an inmate from Indiana.
Furthermore, they made mention of a siege in 2018 that was connected to gang activity and took place at a prison in South Carolina. This violent incident persisted for more than seven hours and claimed the lives of seven inmates. A harrowing description provided by one prisoner depicted the grim sight of bodies literally stacked on top of each other, resembling a morbid pile of wood. The authorities responsible for corrections attributed the orchestrated violence, which stands as the most severe prison riot in the past 25 years in the United States, partially to the use of illegal cellphones.
According to the prosecutors, the prohibition of contraband cell phones among inmates would act as a deterrent against the escalation of drug trafficking, violent riots, and other criminal offenses.
In order to render the phones worthless, which are often smuggled into state prisons through various means like hiding them inside hollowed-out footballs, corrupt employees facilitating their entry, and even dropping them using drones, prosecutors are urging for a revision in a federal communications law that has been in place for almost a century. This revision would allow state prisons to utilize jamming signal technology to neutralize illegal cell signals.
For years, there has been a continuous drive to combat the presence of illicit cellphones in state prisons. South Carolina Corrections Director Bryan Stirling has emerged as a prominent figure in this effort, rallying corrections directors nationwide to advocate for enhanced technological measures to effectively tackle the issue of contraband phones.
A notable accomplishment was attained in 2021, as the Federal Communications Commission adopted a ruling permitting state prison systems to request licenses to identify and deactivate illegal cell signals, one at a time, in collaboration with cellphone providers. South Carolina took the lead by submitting an application to utilize this technology, but according to Stirling's statement to AP on Tuesday, no action has been taken on the state's application.
According to Stirling, federal prisons have the legal authority to interfere with cell signals within their premises, but as of now, they have opted not to employ this practice.
The wireless industry group known as CTIA opposes the implementation of jamming technology, as it believes it could hinder legal phone calls. However, in a 2020 document from the FCC, CTIA informed the commission that it has been collaborating effectively with its member companies to cease service to illegal devices as directed by court orders they have obtained.
Calling combating contraband phones “a serious issue,” CTIA officials said in a statement to the AP that the “wireless industry remains committed to working with corrections officials and policymakers at all levels of government to implement effective solutions that combat contraband phones while protecting lawful communications.”
A prompt seeking comment on the renewed push for jamming has been sent via email, but the FCC officials have not yet issued a response.
Previously, Congress has deliberated on the subject of jamming legislation, yet no bills have been approved or even given the opportunity for a hearing. U.S. Senator Tom Cotton, representing Arkansas and belonging to the Republican party, reintroduced a similar measure in August during the previous Congress.
“We’re not going to stop advocating,” Wilson told AP on Tuesday. “I can only hope that at some point, Congress is going to take note.”