OCP sent the FCC the letter below encouraging them to make policy changes to help us fight the dangers posed by contraband cell phones in prison. We will keep you informed and thank you for your input. July 15, 2013 FCC 445 12th St SW, Room TW-A325 Washington DC 20554 This letter is being written to formally respond to the FCC request for public comment regarding policy changes to combat the abuse of cell phones in prisons, GN No. 13-111. The members of the Oklahoma Corrections Professionals deal with the threat of cell phones in prison on a daily basis and applaud the FCC’s efforts to curtail the dangers they pose to the public and the men and women who work inside the institutions. Some of the most significant dangers of contraband cell phone use are the ability for offenders to coordinate simultaneous disturbances at multiple facilities. The ability for offenders to use a cell phone with data capabilities is at least as problematic since this allows them access to staff and other’s home addresses or the ability to ascertain the crimes of other offenders. This is in addition to the problem of unmonitored communication through calling and/or texting which can be very innocent or very dangerous (i.e. judges, district attorneys, victims, etc). Detection technology is not the answer as this option requires staff to operate the device, which is problematic considering corrections officers in Oklahoma are already required to work 60 hours per week due to short-staffing. Even with higher staffing levels this option is only effective if the institution can provide an operator and then can seize the device. Managed-access systems could be a better alternative, but our fear is this technology could still be circumvented by offenders using family, friends, or other means to register numbers with the service managing system. Intercepting and reporting of non-registered numbers – even streamlined – could be very labor intensive. Cell phone signal-jamming may be a far less costly and more effective tool to combat this issue. Although it is currently against FCC regulations to jam cell phone frequencies, a look into the reasoning for this prohibition may reveal that these reasons are non-applicable in a correctional setting so long as the jamming radius does not interfere with non-contraband phones outside the facility’s boundaries. The primary reason to prohibit this technology is that emergency 911 calls cannot be made, but this point is moot in a correctional center due to the prohibition of cell phones inside the secure perimeter. Even if there was a disruption in landlines and facility cell phones were needed as a backup form of communication, the jamming device could be temporarily disabled. OCP believes the FCC should pursue policies that allow and promote the use of cell phone jamming devices in Oklahoma prisons as the most cost-effective and least-disruptive technology to combat the use of contraband cell phones. Sincerely, Sean Wallace Executive Director, Oklahoma Corrections Professionals
Posted on: Tue, 23 Jul 2013 16:34:14 +0000
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