A two-year operation to intercept
unlocked cell phones being smuggled into state prisons by employees has produced modest
results and done little to stem the flow of contraband devices to inmates, according to state data.
Since
2009, authorities have seized 432 unauthorized cell phones from
employees in random searches at adult prisons across the state.
It’s
unclear how many of those devices were intended for the lucrative black
market, said Terry Thornton, a spokesperson for the California
Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation.
“Some people just forget to leave their personal cell phones at home,” she said.
The phones confiscated during “Operation Disconnect” represent just a fraction of the total number of
wholesale cell phones circulating among inmates.
Last
year, more than 10,000 devices were seized from inmates or found
abandoned in cells, common areas and on prison yards. Authorities
believe the actual number of phones being used by inmates is much
higher.
In the prison black market
cell phones for cheap can fetch prices of $1,000 or more.
While
some inmates use the phones to communicate with friends and family,
there are documented cases of prisoners using the devices to facilitate
crimes and harass crime victims and witnesses.
The problem gained
notoriety over the past year when authorities twice discovered
contraband cell phones being used by convicted serial killer Charles
Manson.
Under “Operation Disconnect” prisons are required to conduct monthly random checks on staff as they enter state facilities.
However,
the searches usually do not cover all facility entrances and do not
stretch to more than one work shift. Unlike some other states and the
Federal Bureau of Prisons, California does not routinely search prison
employees on their way into work.
In contrast, all visitors are
required to pass through metal detectors before they enter state
prisons. It remains unclear whether visitors contribute significantly to
the cell phone black market since the department of corrections does
not collect data on the number of devices confiscated from
non-employees.
Corrections officials say the results from “Operation
Disconnect” support the department’s view that there is no single source
for illicit cell phones.
“They (contraband phones) come in through
many ways – staff, vendors, contractors, packages, visitors, outside
work crews,” Thornton said. “We have found them in the garbage, in
cereal boxes, in hollowed out Bibles, in shoes, in footballs, in body
cavities, in a can of food.”
Prison officials expressed some
disappointment but said they never expected the operation would wipe out
the black market in cell phones.
“It’s a piece of what we’re trying to do,” said Richard Subia, a corrections deputy director.
Subia
said he would like to see the state establish “airport-style screening”
at every adult prison but “fiscally we can’t do that.”
However,
prison officials are planning to invest millions in technology they hope
will block calls from unauthorized cell phones.
“So even if the phones get into the prisons, they can’t be used,” Subia said. “They would be worthless.”