Stop Inmates from Getting Cell Phones

Statement

Common sense won out with the law that was enacted this month to prevent inmates from using cell phones to commit crimes from federal prison.

I sponsored the legislation -- the Cell Phone Contraband Act -- with Senator Dianne Feinstein. We set out to close a loophole in federal law by prohibiting the use or possession of cell phones and wireless devices in federal prisons.

Our Cell Phone Contraband Act classifies cell phones and wireless devices as contraband material. It specifies that anyone who provides or attempts to provide an inmate with a cell phone could face up to one year in prison. Inmates have been paying hundreds of dollars for cell phones. In May, California Inspector General David Shaw reported that California prison inmates pay $500 to $1,000 per cell phone. One corrupt correctional officer received approximately $150,000 in one year for smuggling cell phones. Before now, cell phones weren't specifically defined as contraband material under federal law. Guards and inmates who were found smuggling or possessing cell phones in federal prisons have rarely been punished. In 2009, staff for the Federal Bureau of Prisons confiscated 2,607 cell phones from minimum security facilities and 591 cell phones from secure federal institutions. In the first four months of 2010, federal prison staff recovered 889 phones from minimum security facilities and 299 phones from secure institutions. It's presumed that thousands haven't been discovered.

The Grassley-Feinstein Act will help prevent drug dealers and other criminals in federal prisons from obtaining cell phones for criminal activity from behind bars. By cutting this communication link, we can help keep Americans safe.

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