Jackson, Miss. Mississippi Department of Corrections Commissioner Pelicia E. Hall said hearing about the "promising results" of a jamming technology trial at a South Carolina prison reaffirmed her support for cell phone jamming systems.
The Justice Department issued a press release on Wednesday regarding a report from the National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) on the results of a pilot test conducted in Columbia, South Carolina
"The results are promising and show that the new technology can be effective in preventing the use of prohibited mobile phones in prisons," the statement said.
During the test, signals from cells within the test area were "blocked, while legitimate calls could be made outside the test range." Commissioner Hall said this is exactly the type of technology the corrections industry needs to address the problem of banned phones.
As an active member of the State Association of Directors of Correctional Services (ASCA), Commissioner Hall supported legislation before Congress to allow cell phone interference in correctional facilities. She is one of a number of correctional leaders working closely with the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) and the Cellular Telecommunications Industry Association (CTIA) to combat banned cell phones.
"It is well known that cell phones in prisons are a daily problem for the Department of Corrections and pose a real threat to public safety," Commissioner Hall said. "MDOC is not immune, and we recognize that even with the Managed Access System (MAS), finding and confiscating a large number of phones tells us something isn't working." We needed a reliable and cost-effective solution. As we work to contain the outbreak, we do not want to endanger public safety. "
Commissioner Hall said that while a variety of tools, including scanners, body scanners, cell phone detectors, wands, K-9 phones and nets, are used to combat smuggled phones, micro signal jammers appear to be another proactive approach that needs to be fully explored.
