Cell Phones in Prison - Plenary Panel From the 2010 NIJ Conference

• NCJ Number: 234790
• Date Published: June 2010
• Author(s): Ellen Scrivner; Gary D. Maynard; Harley Lappin; Aaron D. Kennard; James A. Barnett Jr.; Larry D. Atlas
• Length: 15 pages
• Agencies: NIJ
• Publication Type: Issue Overview; Interview

Annotation

This audio recording and accompanying transcript cover panel presentations at the 2010 NIJ Conference that discussed the problem of cell phones used for illicit purposes in correctional facilities.

Abstract

One presenter notes that detainees and inmates use cell phones to continue an ongoing criminal enterprise or to intimidate witnesses. Trying to block or intercept illicit cell phone communications may interfere with legitimate cell phone use. Stopping cell phones from being introduced into a facility or locating them once they have been introduced is difficult, because of the many ways that cell phones can be smuggled, dismantled, and hidden. The intention of the panel presenters is not to offer a solution to this problem, but rather to examine the problem and its potential solutions from the operational, technical, and regulatory perspective. Representatives from all of these fields compose the six panel members.