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| Smartphones in Prison: The New File in the Cake |
| By mobiledia.com - Sandy Fitzgerald |
| Published: 05/15/2012 |
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Prisoners behind bars are cut off from the rest of the world, except for the occasional visit and some mailed-in letters. But the same tools people "on the outside" use to communicate with each other -- cell phones and tablets -- are finding their ways into prisons. Despite states cracking down on phones in prisons, the problem of mobile contrabands are spiraling out of control, despite state and federal laws that forbid them from being in inmates' hands. In addition, while most prisons either do not allow Internet use or censor prisoners' ability to go online, smartphone technology is bringing even more changes to how prisoners communicate to each other and the outside world. Many prisons weigh the benefits of allowing Internet use, while remaining concerned about the rampant use of cellphones, which authorities can't monitor, leading to illegal activities. The Contraband Problem Prison officials have long battled illegal feature phones, even though they have limited uses for making telephone calls and sending simple texts. However, smartphones are eclipsing feature phones worldwide, and time isn't standing still in prisons, either, with powerful smartphones making the contraband phone issue more challenging. While convicts are generally banned from using the Internet in most prisons across the U.S., smartphones give inmates unprecedented access to the outside world. "The smartphone is the most lethal weapon you can get inside a prison," Terry L. Bittner, director of security products with the ITT Corporation, one of a handful of companies that create cellphone-detection systems for prisons told the New York Times. "The smartphone is the equivalent of the old Swiss Army knife. You can do a lot of other things with it." Corrections officials say smartphones allow prisoners to have uncensored time online. While some may be using their illegal phones to contact family members on the outside, others use them for more nefarious purposes, including calling up maps, photos and photographs for illegal activities. The smartphones also allow inmates to easily orchestrate gang violence, drug deals and more while they're in prison, and to intimidate witnesses and victims who may have thought they were out of danger. Read More. |
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