California Inmates No Longer Allowed Cell Phones

The California Senate is expecting to vote on a bill next week that would make it a crime for state prison inmates (about 172,000 statewide) to possess cell phones, or to have them smuggled in. Cell phones have become more and more popular in California prisons- more than 2,800 phones were confiscated from inmates last year, which is more than twice the amount that were found last year.

Authorities suspect that inmates use the phones to orchestrate escapes and coordinate unlawful activity on the outside. They feel that each cell phone is a threat to prisoners, officers, prison workers, and the public at large. Senator John Benoit, R- Bermuda Dunes introduces the bill that will outlaw cell phones in California’s ninety-four prisons and other state penitentiary facilities.

Catching an inmate with a cell phone will be punishable by the rescinding of thirty days of credit for good behavior, further misdemeanor penalties, or loss of privileges, and they would have a mark against them in parole board evaluations. Those who smuggle the phones into the prison –the great majority are smuggled in my cooks, and others, and they sell for a few hundred dollars a pop- will be punished in other ways. The legislation is very important, says the associate director for the division of adult institutions in the state Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation, Richard Subia. Unless discouraged, prison staff will continue smuggling in phones because it is so lucrative.

This is important for us all to keep in mind when we send care packages- cell phones, even wrapped in other things, or disguised as food, are will not be allowed, and if you are caught trying to send an inmate a cell phone, you may be punished by suspension or expulsion from visiting the facility, or misdemeanor criminal penalties of up to $5,000.