You may have heard about an embarrassing episode at the Baltimore City Detention Center that came to light in April 2013. Alleged gang leaders, flush with contraband cellphones, continued to orchestrate criminal activity from behind bars.
Now state officials say the problem is basically solved. Since the FCC doesn’t allow the blanket jamming of cell reception, the state installed at BCDC a $5.4 million “Managed Access” system that selectively blocks calls from unauthorized cell phones made within the prison, while allowing calls from authorized devices as well as calls to 911.
As long as no one hands an authorized cell phone to an inmate we should be good.