No cell phone bars behind bars

Officials can’t keep all cell phones from inmates, so they want to be allowed to jam signals instead

Monday, July 20, 2009 | 2 a.m.

Officials ask help controlling prison cell phons (7-15-2009)
Prisons press fight against smuggled cell phones (4-14-2009)

Nevada Department of Corrections

Inmate Jody Thompson struck up a romantic relationship with a prison dental assistant, who in turn gave him a token of her love — a cell phone. Two weeks later, Thompson used that smuggled cell phone in his escape from the state prison in Carson City. It was three months, two robberies and a few high-speed chases later before he was back behind bars.

That was autumn 2005, but Thompson’s tale was recounted in the nation’s capital just last week, during a Senate commerce committee hearing legislation that would allow the jamming of cell phone signals in state prisons — an illegal technology that prison officials from 26 states, including Nevada Corrections Department Director Howard Skolnik, are petitioning the Federal Communications Commission to allow.

The petition Skolnik signed was filed two days before the Senate hearing, where those in favor of the legislation pointed to Thompson’s case and others like it as evidence of the need for jamming devices, which render cell phones useless by interfering with their radio frequencies.

Those against the idea worry the technology isn’t precise enough to ensure phone frequencies used by people making everyday phone calls or calling 911 won’t be affected.

While these points are being debated, Skolnik says, an unknown number of phones are in the hands of Nevada inmates. This despite a 2007 Nevada law that made bringing a cell phone onto any prison property a misdemeanor. And giving an inmate a phone is a felony.

Although neither Skolnik nor prison spokeswoman Suzanne Pardee was able to give a precise accounting of phones confiscated from inmates, the prisons director said there have been “a handful” of cases.

Skolnik would not detail the methods inmates have used to smuggle phones into facilities or how they keep them hidden, though he did describe incidents of phones being tossed into state prisons by accomplices on the outside.

At the Senate hearing Wednesday, it became clear that opportunistic corrections employees pose the greatest risk when it comes to contraband phones, simply because of the money to be made in the illicit trade. Texas state Sen. John Whitmire spoke of calls he received direct from a death-row inmate who purchased a cell phone from a prison guard for $2,100. That same phone, it was later determined, had been passed among multiple inmates who collectively talked for thousands of minutes.

In Nevada, at least four corrections employees have been reprimanded for having phones on premises, according Dennis Mallory, chief of staff of the Nevada chapter of the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees, which represents detention officers. Skolnik remembered only one employee being disciplined, but said several staff members had self-reported that they had accidentally brought phones to work.

The dental assistant who gave Thompson his phone, Ana Kastner, was arrested and given a suspended sentence. She is the last employee known to have given a phone to an inmate. Of course, it takes only one motivated employee to introduce several phones into the system, Texas Criminal Justice Department Inspector General John Moriarty said Wednesday. Moriarty recalled one prison investigation that revealed Texas inmates were prepared to pay $400 for a phone.

In California, the profit potential was too hard to ignore for one prison employee, who told the Sacramento Bee last year he made an extra $100,000 smuggling phones to inmates. The Bee also reported that at least half of the 2,800 phones confiscated from California inmates last year are thought to have been smuggled in by employees.

Jamming the phone signals, U.S. Sen. Mark Begich of Alaska noted, is really just “solving a problem which is a symptom of another problem” — employees looking to pad their salaries. Moriarty acknowledged this during the hearing, as Skolnik did later to the Sun, and both prison officials came up with the same reason: History has proved it’s impossible to police thousands of corrections employees.

“Chances are that some of them will have an issue personally which would be tempting for them to find an additional source of income,” Skolnik said.

The answer, both men said, is jamming the signals.

Absent the authority to do that, some states are using dogs trained to sniff out cell phones, and others are exploring technology that seeks out cell frequencies so corrections employees can track them back to the source. The concern is that hard-wiring that kind of system into prisons is expensive and less effective than jamming, so Skolnik is waiting to see whether the FCC ban, which has been in place since 1934, might be lifted for prisons.

Thompson, the inmate escapee who Skolnik and others agree prompted Nevada’s prison cell phone ban, meanwhile, is housed at maximum-security Ely State Prison and looking again for love — at least according to the Web site convictpenpals.com, where a letter written by Thompson was posted late last month and reads, in part, “I’m a team-player. I like teamwork and what it stands for. Living, loving, elevating, and succeeding together with people I love — this appeals to me.”

The site does not list a phone number.

Discussion: 15 comments so far…

By neiman1

7/20/09 at 6:01 a.m.

Suggest removal

If they can't keep cell phones out of the jail, how do they keep weapons and drugs out? They don't. When you catch someone smuggling into a facility, give them 10 years as a resident.
By LasVegas2009

7/20/09 at 6:18 a.m.

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Yes block the signal! Why would they even need to debate it. Why cant they control these people! Sounds like the employees need some pay cuts to deal with all the smuggling. When you catch smuggling into a prison cut the pay of every employee 5%. Let there fellow workers deal with them. Joe the guard gets caught bringing in a cell phone or a pillow everybody even the warden gets a 5% cut effective the next day. The smuggling will end.
By BigStack

7/20/09 at 8:30 a.m.

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LV09,

If you do that, you'll just end up with no prison guards. Prison guards are the lowest run on the law enforcement totem pole. The get the least pay and the least respect. Why do you think that some of them resort to smuggling. I do agree to punishing the smugglers harsely (manditory minimiums - none of this suspended sentance nonsense). But if you want decent quality prison guards, you have to pay the freight.
By lvelegante

7/20/09 at 9:34 a.m.

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Let's stop being naive, if someone wants to smuggle something into prison, it happens. At High Desert the CO's are subjected to the same security searches, almost as tough as inmate searches, on a daily basis. Sadly, it's humiliating, but because there are a handful of corrupt officers, it ruins it for the others who are honest and good. Warden Baca and the higher-ups haven't a clue how to run a prison properly. Lack of officer security is an issue due to understaffing, officer's who refuse to follow procedure, management who refuse to enforce proper procedure & policy and some who have no clue what that even means. It's a travesty and it puts lives in danger on a daily basis including my husband's. There needs to be more inmate cell searches, daily, and quite frankly, if Skolnick would take a cue from Sheriff Joe Arpaio, he wouldn't have half the problems he has. Maybe when he figures it out, the prisons will be run more efficiently, and policy might even be followed by Baca and his cronies. Until then, I won't stop worrying until my husband walks in the door every day he works.
By henderson

7/20/09 at 9:46 a.m.

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They need to scramble these signals and have drug dogs sniff everyone and everything entering these facilities. Honestly, if they were serious about wanting to solve this problem it would be handled already.
By DessertSun

7/20/09 at 12:25 p.m.

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Nobody should believe anything Senator Mark Begich says. Quite frankly he doesn't know much about anything. He barely eked into the Senate by a hand-full of votes because of a gross abusive mishandling by Federal Prosecutors of Senator Ted Stevens. These prosecutors are now facing prosecution now and their careers over. Mark Begich would of never, ever been elected otherwise and probably will not survive an election considering his voting record.
By DessertSun

7/20/09 at 12:30 p.m.

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Further, if you ever have to quote Senator Mark Beigich on a anything, just do the opposite of what he says, you'll be better off!
By CarsonNewshound

7/20/09 at 2:55 p.m.

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Depending on the strength of the jamming signal, it could wipe out all cell service for a mile or more around any prison. No one can call for help and residents within a mile or more of a prison would be denied cell service. Dumb idea among those who need an "electronics 101" course.
By geezelouise

7/21/09 at 7:07 a.m.

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This whole idea is crazy.

The prison can't figure out how to keep cell phones out so they want to have the authority to disrupt the cell phone service for people who are not incarcerated?

What country do we live in?

NO, you may not take away MY right to use a cell phone near a prison so find another solution.
By geezelouise

7/21/09 at 7:40 a.m.

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http://reid.senate.gov/contact/index.cfm...

Here is the email address to contact Senator Harry Reid.

Please use it to voice your concerns.
By spartacusproject

7/21/09 at 1:14 p.m.

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How foolish to think otherwise than to believe that the NDOC guards aren't profiting from the bringing of cell phones into prisons. Just like the poor wife of a lowly guard, who weeps for the safe return of her husband--yet calls for more rules to dominate prisoners, is beyond pathetic. The prisoner's are only buying what the corrupt guards are selling!

These sick overly-strict guards are not the lowest paid citizens of Nevada. They are, however, the lowest of the low in state government, with the exception of NDOC administrators.

Still want to hear how abused these parasites are treated?

Most everyone believes there is a need for prisons. Most everyone believes there is a need to withhold one's freedom when citizens cannot conform to rules of society. Only prison administrators, prison guards, and many misinformed tax-payers believe there is no rehabilitation needed, or schooling or vocational trades needed for these citizens. How foolish are we citizens to believe what NDOC is doing, in their secret prison system--is productive?

If anyone believes the these brutalizing moronic guards are going to stop making a profit out of bringing drugs, cigarettes, liquor or cell phones into a prison--are sadly mistaken. It will only get worse until NDOC administrators change their thinking on how to control inmates, and show another side of the coin.

You cannot treat human beings badly for years and expect them to come out of prison believing there is any other way to treat their fellow citizens--except the same way they were treated for years. AND YOU CAN'T HAVE CORRUPT GUARDS SHOWING THE INMATES THE WAY TO BIGGER ILLEGAL PROFITS AND HOW EASY IT IS TO GET AWAY WITH BEING CORRUPT. Isn't it time we realized that little bit of information? "You treat others as you have been treated." Think about it. Then, lets go back to the guards selling inmates cell phones. Doesn't this show lack of intelligence?

In Nevada we run the most stupid prison system in the world--led by stupid legislators and administrators. What makes any Nevada citizen believe we haven't gotten Abu Ghraib, Guantanamo Bay and the Russian Gulags all rolled into one system here in Nevada? Come on Nevada, wake up. Hell, even China and Iran treat their prisoners better than Nevada.

The ignorance and brutality displayed to inmates is beyond belief. It is a miracle that these hell-holes haven't exploded into chaos and riots, because the administrators allow such bad treatment to our loved ones. IN FACT, ADMINISTRATORS ENCOURAGE THEIR GUARDS TO CONTINUE BAD TREATMENT. WHY?

Someone earlier stated: "You get what you pay for..." That's true. You keep your tax dollars going into a secret society of administrators and guards--without checks and balances: "YOU WILL GET WHAT YOU PAY FOR, AND YOU WILL KEEP PAYING PRISON ADMINISTRATORS AND IGNORANT PRISON GUARDS--FOREVER"!
By xie

7/21/09 at 1:27 p.m.

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Corruption and big profit for prison guards. How else could cell phones be in the prison? It's time for Skolnik to take a look at the corruption in his department. And I agree with geezelouise, you can't take my cell phone and access to emergency services because I may be near a prison. Skolnik needs to control his wardens and other underlings.
By WilliamClarke

7/21/09 at 7:29 p.m.

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Cell Phones are just a part of the problem the NDOC faces.
By spartacusproject

7/21/09 at 8:21 p.m.

Suggest removal

By God, geezelouise & ixie has it right. The basic problem lies at the feet of the Director of Prisons and his wardens. These men are fools to not understand what is happening and why. Don't blame the inmates for buying cell phones, until you see the charges the institutions level against the inmate's families for phone privileges. That little bit information should lead to charges of theft under color of authority. Certainly, it is a monopoly. It is certainly very profitable for the NDOC.

Let's look at the big trial of the Aryan Warriors here in Las Vegas this last month, and the positive finger pointing towards the guards for running illegal drugs into Ely State Prison. Does anyone believe there will ever be any repercussions against the Ely Guards?

Does anyone believe the wardens are not part of that problem? Does part of the illegal monies go to the wardens or higher ups within the prison system. Who knows? There is never an open investigation within this secret society of Nevada Prisons--that is open to the public! That should tell us something about the Department of Corrections in Nevada! It is foul.

And, always points the finger at the inmates, instead of the ones that make all things possible--Nevada Prison Guards!
Will there ever be charges brought against the guards? Not in your lifetime...

So, to those of you that know where the problems lie. Congratulations. Skolnut does fool all the people all the time! Have a nice day.
By spartacusproject

7/21/09 at 8:26 p.m.

Suggest removal

A Spartcusproject correction. That last line should read:

"SKOLNUT DOESN'T FOOL ALL THE PEOPLE ALL THE TIME".

William Clark, no one is fooling you either.

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