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September 2, 2011 By Brian Heaton
Aiming to crack down on illegal cell phone use by inmates, a bill is moving forward in the California Legislature that would authorize the use of “managed access technology” to block wireless transmissions in California prisons.
The bill would allow the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation (CDCR) to use technology to identify unauthorized cell phone signals and disrupt incoming and outgoing calls, text messages and e-mails within a prison’s perimeter.
Sponsored by Sen. Alex Padilla, D-Pacoima, the bill, SB 26, also punishes those who smuggle a cell phone into a prison with a fine of up to $5,000 per device and six months in jail.
“We know that inmates with cell phones are ordering murders, organizing escapes, facilitating drug deals, controlling street gangs and terrorizing rape victims,” said Padilla in a statement.
Matthew Cate, secretary of the CDCR, said approximately 6,000 phones were confiscated at state prisons this year from January to May and the proposed legislation would help fix the issue.
“Contraband cell phones in prison continue to be a problem for CDCR as they allow inmates to circumvent our monitoring process and commit crimes,” Cate explained in a statement. “SB 26 will strengthen our efforts to curb this problem.”
Padilla’s office reported that the number of cell phones confiscated in California prisons has grown tremendously in the last five years. According to the senator’s office, in 2006, prison officials confiscated 261 cell phones in California prisons, a number that rose to 10,761 in 2010.
Earlier this year, the CDCR reportedly began testing technology that block cell phone signals in one unnamed prison. Several months ago the National Telecommunications and Information Administration released a report detailing several technologies that could be used to thwart cell phones and detailed pilot projects under way in prisons across the nation.
Unlike many bills that once signed by the governor are effective on Jan. 1 of the following year, Padilla added language into SB 26 that would allow the law — if it passes the Assembly and is ultimately signed by Gov. Jerry Brown — to be effective immediately.
Joe Panora, the CDCR’s CIO and director of enterprise information services, told Government Technology in an e-mail that the California Technology Agency is in the midst of a procurement process that will award a single statewide concession service contract for an Inmate/Ward Telephone System and Managed Access System (IWTS/MAS).
He added that the [CDCR] will be the primary user of the IWTS/MAS contract for inmate/ward domestic and international telephone services and for the management of authorized and unauthorized cellular wireless communications.
SB 26 was passed by the California Senate and now awaits a vote on the State Assembly floor, which is scheduled for Friday, Sept. 2.
“Our goal is to get it out of the Assembly and to the Senate for concurrence on to the governor’s desk today,” said John Mann, a spokesman for Padilla, in an e-mail to Government Technology on Friday.
At press time on Sept. 2, the Assembly vote was still pending.
You may use or reference this story with attribution and a link to
http://www.govtech.com/public-safety/Proposal-Would-Block-Cell-Phone-Transmissions-in-California-Prisons.html
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There supposed to be in prison ! Deny them the freedoms they abused ! They shouldn't have cell phones that allow tem to continue their criminal ways and criminal connections.
A less expensive approach for the state would be to place the burden of the cell phones on cell providers. As part of the 911 system the FCC requires cell phone providers are to be able to locate cell phones to within 50 feet. So, the state could require that any cell phone that is taken into a correctional facility in a turned on condition must be deactivated and its account also must also be deactivated. An administrative fee (for the state of say $2000) could be assesed for reactivation of accounts or phones involved in violations. If a non deactivated cell phone is found inside of a prison then a fee of say $250,000 could be assesed against the cell phone company or service provider. If the cell industry had the assesments thrown out by a court or the FCC then the law could provide that the CEO of the cell company would be responsible on a charge of conspiricy to facilate organized criminal activity and set a sentance of 20 to 99 years and provide that the company would also have a fine of $1,000,000,000. Provide that each offending cell phone would be a seperate offense. The corrections department would need to be required to provide the cell providers the location information for all prisons (with at least a 50 - 100 foot buffer inside their property line) and signage warning of deactivation and administrative fees at all entrances. A reasonable time would need to be allowed for complience. (Say a year.) This would allow cell companies to program automatic deactivation and to test and verify prison location databases. Administrative fees would then enrich the state coffers instead of contracts depleating them.