WHY USING CELL PHONES IN PRISON CONTINUES, AS THEY COME WITH SERIOUS CHARGES AND COMPLICATIONS
CELL PHONE JAMMING DEVICES
Republican lawmakers Sen. Tom Cotton (R-AR) and Rep David Kustoff (R-TN) have introduced companion bills in the House and Senate to permit prisons to use cellphone jamming devices. The FCC says, “The Communications Act prohibits non-Federal entities from using cell jammers. The FCC cannot waive this statutory prohibition absent a change in the law by Congress.”
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This legislation aims to limit prisoners’ ability to threaten witnesses and engage in drug trafficking. However, the utility of cell phones—allowing better communication with friends and family—far outweighs these concerns.
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Cell Phones
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Walter Pavlo has a different and more accurate explanation as to why so many otherwise regular people stray toward using cell phones. In
prison, even fog can result in lockdowns, confining inmates to their cells and restricting communication methods like monitored phone calls and Corrlinks email. Staff shortages and disturbances can result in lockdowns, lasting from days to months, cutting off access to TV, phone calls, emails, and visitation. This isolation makes prisoners crave contact with the outside world, and in such circumstances, cell phones offer a potential escape from their solitude.
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Routines May Provide A Mental Escape
Think about it: before entering this surreal world, you had a daily routine. After you get up, shower, dress, and prepare for work or school, you may have kids to get ready, a spouse to review the day with, or parents to call. Things that you would do each day, such as walking dogs in their dog training programs, etc.
At home, you never think about it; unfortunately, here, it’s best if you plan this before your arrival. What I am thinking about is reading and keeping a record of everything that you read. I assume you like to read (if not, please force yourself) and pick Non-Fiction topics on anything. If you want, you can sprinkle in a few topics on historical fiction. The importance of reading is that you can learn new things, may learn a business idea, and the BOP staff “may” notice, which is a good thing. Then, writing down interesting facts into a log notebook and copying and providing it to your “case manager” at your meeting may help them help you in your quest toward an earlier release date. No Guarantees, but if you do nothing, “they will not be motivated to go out of their way to help,” plus you will be bored should your facility have multiple lockdowns.
Scheduling. Softback books from Amazon, two per month, then with a calendar, spread out between friends, relatives covering the number of months you’ll be there. You can include subscriptions to magazines and newspapers. Try and get a job that you like, mind your business, and please, No Cell Phones. You could get an additional charge, be sent to another prison, or just be sent to the SHU, in addition to losing your GTC and ETC.
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The Cell Phone Business.
They can cost $2 – $3000 and are sometimes rented by the hour for approximately $100.00. The inmate has their own SIM card that they use with that phone. The all-important caveat: if one of your personal contact numbers is on that card that the BOP has on your Phone Contact List, you could be in trouble.
Our Congradulations To Colette Peters
Senior U.S. District Judge Kimberly Mueller (Eastern District of California) appointed former BOP Director Colette Peters as a “receiver-nominee” to develop an oversight plan for psychiatric services for California’s prison population intended to address the epidemic.