Mobile phones in prison are becoming a significant issue, with many inmates using them to coordinate crimes and communicate with accomplices.
The use of mobile phones in prison is a serious problem, with many prisons struggling to keep them out.
In the UK, for example, it's estimated that over 12,000 mobile phones were seized from prisoners in 2018 alone.
Mobile phones can be used to plan and execute crimes, including murders and gang attacks.
Mobile Phones in Prisons: Rules and Regulations
Mobile phones in prisons are strictly regulated to prevent contraband and maintain order.
In the United States, the Bureau of Justice Statistics reports that nearly 60% of prisons have a no-mobile-phone policy.
Prison authorities often use jamming technology to block mobile phone signals within prison walls.
Inmates caught with mobile phones can face disciplinary action, including loss of privileges and extended sentences.
Some prisons have implemented innovative solutions, such as secure phone booths and monitored phone calls.
Combating Mobile Phone Use in Prisons
Laws have been passed in various jurisdictions, placing penalties on inmates who possess mobile devices as well as staff who smuggle them in. Inmate penalties range from loss of privileges and behavior credits to additional sentencing.
Staff penalties can be severe, including disciplinary action, job loss, or even criminal charges.
In some places, experimental technology is being used to block inmate communications while continuing to allow others. Securus Technologies invested over $40 million in "Wireless Containment Solutions" in 2017.
French authorities have launched a nationwide hunt for tiny Chinese-made telephones used by convicts to continue criminal activities from inside prison. These phones are almost entirely plastic and have a reputation for being virtually invisible to metal detectors.
In 2024, some 40,000 mobile phones were confiscated in prisons, with conventional devices being projected over prison walls or dropped by drones, and others being smuggled in by corrupt prison staff.
Combating Mobile Phone Use in Prisons
In the United States, prison phone calls are a source of profit for private prisons, making them prohibitively expensive for prisoners to connect with family and loved ones outside.
Laws have been passed in various jurisdictions to penalize inmates who possess mobile devices and staff who smuggle them in, with penalties ranging from loss of privileges and behavior credits to additional sentencing.
In France, authorities launched a nationwide hunt for tiny Chinese-made telephones used by convicts to continue criminal activities from inside prison, with over 40,000 mobile phones confiscated in prisons in 2024.
The French supplier of the mini-phones, Oportik, has been stopped from trading, and three staff members arrested, with the devices being nicknamed "suppositories" by prison inmates due to their ease of concealment.
In the United States, American company Securus Technologies invested over $40 million in "Wireless Containment Solutions", a system that creates a local cellular network inside a prison requiring all phones on the network to be screened and approved.
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Under Operation Prison Break, French prison officers have been authorized to conduct searches in 500 cells in 66 detention centers to detect the mini-phones.
The French prosecutor's office has passed information on how it traced the Oportik phones to the EU's judicial cooperation agency Eurojust, so that other countries can conduct similar clampdowns.
In some prisons, phone-jamming is deployed, but there are doubts about its efficacy, and similar mini-phones are manufactured in large numbers in China.
Devices on the Deny List are candidates to have their service disabled if detected within the prison, requiring the mobile network operator to confirm proper lawful authorizations as required by applicable regulations.
In cases where mobile network operators don't provide an API for disabling services, they are contacted by phone or email to enable or disable the relevant services, which is then recorded in the SS8 platform for transparency and auditability.
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Establish and Monitor Geofenced Zones
To combat mobile phone use in prisons, establishing and monitoring geofenced zones is a crucial step.
Mobile network coverage can extend beyond the facility's boundaries, making it essential to differentiate between devices inside and outside.
The SS8 platform uses passive location technology to define geofenced quiet zones around the facility.
Geometric boundaries of the zone can be defined using simple text strings or by drawing a polygon shape directly on a map with Intellego XT Globe.
The platform then uses active location technology to track devices within the quiet zone in real-time, collecting location data with high accuracy and reliability.
Using quiet zone heuristics and pattern of life algorithms, Intellego XT Globe verifies with high confidence that the device is located within the geofenced area.
To avoid interfering with neighboring mobile phone services, the solution uses quiet zone heuristics and pattern of life algorithms.
The SS8 solution uses Allow and Deny Lists of MSISDNs to differentiate between contraband phones and devices operated within the quiet zone by staff and others.
The Allow List identifies devices of trusted parties, such as corrections officers, as being permanently permitted within the facility.
Devices that are specifically forbidden within the facility are collected on the Deny List.
Temporary allowances can be made for less-trusted parties, such as visitors or suppliers, but these are regularly re-evaluated over time.
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Mobile Phones in Prisons: News and Incidents
In France, authorities have launched a nationwide hunt for thousands of tiny Chinese-made phones used by convicts to continue criminal activities from inside prison.
These mini-phones are almost entirely plastic and have a reputation for being virtually invisible to metal detectors.
Some of these devices were used to commit crimes from inside detention, including drugs trafficking, racketeering, arson, and attempted murder.
The French supplier of the devices, Oportik, has been stopped from trading and three staff members arrested.
In 2024, some 40,000 mobile phones were confiscated in prisons.
A significant number of these phones were smuggled in by corrupt prison staff.
Phone-jamming is deployed in some jails, but there are doubts about its efficacy.
Similar mini-phones are manufactured in large numbers in China, and while they are themselves perfectly legal in France, it is a crime to supply a prisoner with a phone.
The cheapest of these mini-phones cost just €20.
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Frequently Asked Questions
How much is $20 worth in jail?
In a jail setting, $20 can buy basic comforts like soap, toothpaste, and a toothbrush, while $15 can get you a few small luxuries. This limited budget can make a big difference in a prisoner's daily life.
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