The federal prison system will test new technology next week in an attempt to block smuggled cellphones used by inmates behind bars.
Deputy Attorney General Rod J. Rosenstein told the American Correctional Association’s conference in Orlando that, while the law prohibits cellphone use by federal inmates, the Bureau of Prisons confiscated 5,116 such phones in 2016, and preliminary numbers for 2017 indicate a 28 percent increase.
“On January 17, the federal Bureau of Prisons will test micro-jamming and evaluate whether we can use that new technology in prisons without disrupting services in the surrounding area," Rosenstein told a conference of state and federal correctional officials in Orlando, Florida.
Jamming cellphones smuggled into federal prisons is part of a broader safety initiative that is also focusing on preventing drones from delivering contraband to inmates.
“That is a major safety issue,” he said in his speech. “Cellphones are used to run criminal enterprises, facilitate the commission of violent crimes and thwart law enforcement.”
.Rosenstein also told the correction officials about the threat of drones that can fly contraband items like phones, drugs, and weapons into jail and prison yards.
“In the old days, cellphones and other contraband items entered our facilities through the doors, or the loading docks,” Rosenstein said. “In some cases, they were thrown over the fence. Today, we face another technological threat: drones that can fly contraband into jail and prison yards.”
Prisons have seen an increase in drone activity, specifically drones delivering contraband to inmates. Last August, a drone carrying cellphones, cigarettes, marijuana, and razor blades crashed into a Michigan prison yard. In November, a drone crashed trying to deliver contraband to Arizona state prison.
In December, Georgia Department of corrections reported success using a drone detection system to combat the problem of drones delivering contraband. Their newly installed drone detection technology resulted in successful contraband seizure, preventing the contraband from ever reaching inmates.