Title: Mobile phones in prison - Wikipedia
Headings: Mobile phones in prison
Mobile phones in prison
Contents
Reasons cell phones are prohibited
Methods of smuggling
Uses by prisoners
Combating mobile phones in prisons
References
External links

Content: Methods of smuggling
Most mobile phones are smuggled in by prison staff, who often do not have to go through security as rigorously as visitors. Security of staff is often less intense because this would be time-consuming on the part of the staff, union prison employees are paid for this time, and it would increase the overall cost of operations. More rarely, they are smuggled in by visitors, who must undergo tougher security checks, by inmates who are permitted to leave, or by outsiders who establish contact with inmates alongside the prison fence. Once inside prison walls, the devices end up in the hands of inmates who purchase them with cash, which is also contraband in most prisons. Black market prices vary by prison, and can be up to US$1000. Uses by prisoners
While some prisoners use their mobile devices simply for harmless communication or web browsing, others use them for illegal activity. These may include gang control, taunting witnesses, planning escapes, or arrangement of other serious crimes. Prisoners may also use smart phones to gather intelligence on prison staff and to coordinate clandestine activity within the facility. Federal prosecutors charged five South Carolina prisoners with conning at least 442 service members out of a total of more than half a million dollars in November 2018. Two other South Carolina prisoners, John William Dobbins and Carl Richard Smith await trial for multiple scams operated using contraband cell phones out of Lee Correctional Institution, including one catfishing scam that ended in the suicide of army veteran Jared Johns.