By Jacqueline Koch
Chattanooga Times Free Press
CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. — While traditional prison contraband such as drugs and weapons remain troublesome, prison officials nationwide are dealing with a different -- and potentially more dangerous -- problem: cell phones.
Not only can prisoners plan escapes over the phones, they also can conduct criminal activity such as drug deals from behind bars and harass victims or trial witnesses, said Rick Jacobs, director of special operations for the Georgia Department of Corrections.
“It’s the absolute latest epidemic in prison contraband and it’s because it goes beyond on the walls,” he said. “It’s become a very valuable piece of contraband. It’s even more valuable than drugs and other types of contraband.”
So far this year, Georgia officials have confiscated slightly fewer than 200 phones. No cell phones were found on death row, Mr. Jacobs said.
Tennessee Department of Correction officials said they have found about 350 this year.
“We’re constantly searching for them and it’s a pretty big problem,” said TDOC spokeswoman Dorinda Carter said.
There were 55,239 prisoners in Georgia as of last week, while in Tennessee the prison population was 19,519 as of March 9, according to department statistics.
Officials say comparing those numbers is virtually impossible because of the difference in sizes and levels of security.
Cell phones are known as the new prison cash, Mr. Jacobs said. Inmates swap minutes for protection or to purchase items from the commissary they couldn’t otherwise afford, he said.
Cell phones find their way into prisons via mail, through visitors and inside inmates’ bodies. Prison employees also accept cash to smuggle a phone to an inmate, or inmates bring them back into prison after participating in a work detail outside the facility, Mr. Jacobs said.
When Georgia officials realized cell phones were problematic, they worked to fortify the main entry points -- the front door, back door and mail -- using X-ray machines and cell phone detectors, Mr. Jacobs said.
They also pushed for legislation that would make having a cell phone in prison a felony punishable by up to five years in prison, a law currently in effect.
In Tennessee, which also uses cell phone detectors, the offense is a felony punishable by one to six years in prison.
Inmates found with cell phones are punished administratively and lose certain privileges such as the ability to buy things at the commissary or are sent to isolation. Those outside the prison who try to smuggle in cell phones are turned over to district attorneys’ offices.
Cell phone contraband is not nearly as prolific on the local level, officials said.
At the Whitfield County Jail, very little contraband, including cell phones, enters the facility, Lt. Wesley Lynch said.
In general, inmates mostly receive contraband from those who work inside jails, he said. Because Whitfield County would heavily prosecute those found bringing contraband into jail, officials have never experienced a problem, Lt. Lynch said.
“It’s not tolerated in any degree,” he said.
Prison officials across the nation are preparing to ask the Federal Communications Commission to allow cell phone jamming technology, Ms. Carter said. The technology would not allow calls to be made or received because it emits signals in the same frequency range as cell phones, creating strong interference.
By the numbers
Cell phones recovered solely during special operation unannounced shakedowns
* 2009 -- more than 40 phones recovered
* 2008 -- 74 cell phones recovered
* 2007 -- 87 cell phones recovered
Source: Georgia Department of Corrections
Copyright 2009 Chattanooga Publishing Company