Despite many measures, mobile phones in prisons are still rampant and can be used by prisoners to continue committing crimes. Thousands of mobile phones are confiscated in UK prisons every year, but a large number of them are still undetected and are smuggled in or thrown into prisons. cell phone jammer
Mobile phones are a valuable resource for prisoners, and it costs between £400 and £1,000 to borrow one. According to the National Offender Management Service (NOMS), 7,451 mobile phones and Sim cards were seized outside prisons in England and Wales in 2013. Prisoners use these phones to plan murders, escapes, and import weapons and drugs. The problem is widespread.
For example, one prisoner used a mobile phone in his cell to organize crime and smuggle machine guns into the UK, while another prisoner ran a cocaine ring and planned murders and other crimes. The mother of a prisoner at Northumberland Prison said that mobile phones were everywhere in the prison, some of which were thrown over the fence, while others were brought in through specific routes.
Despite the prison’s various security measures, including signal detectors, metal detectors and specially trained police dogs, mobile phones continue to flow in. The management company of Northumberland County Prison said that staff are working hard to prevent illegal items from entering, but the effect is limited.
Challenges of mobile phone jamming technology
Mobile phone jamming technology is considered a potential solution. Common jamming methods include the following:
Interference/jamming: Blocking mobile phones from receiving base station signals by sending signals. This method is low-cost and effective, but it may interfere with signals outside the prison.
Grabbing: Mobile phones are attracted to false networks and specific mobile phones can be selectively blocked. This method is more expensive than full jamming.
Operator disconnection: The Serious Crime Act 2015 gives the government the power to force mobile phone operators to disconnect the network, but relevant regulations have not yet been promulgated.
Interception and search: Search visitors and staff for mobile phones, and use sniffer dogs and other means to find mobile phones.
NOMS believes that the cost of installing jamming equipment across the board is too high, up to £300 million, and the annual maintenance cost is £800,000. However, Howard Melamed, president of Cell Antenna USA, and Steve Rogers, general manager of Digital RF, believe that the cost of the technology is exaggerated, and the variety of prison types in the UK makes pricing difficult.
The gap between law and actual implementation
The Crime and Security Act 2010 stipulates that possession of mobile phones in prison can be sentenced to up to two years’ imprisonment and/or an unlimited fine. But Glyn Travis of the Prison Officers Association (POA) said that prisoners are not worried about the punishment for crimes committed in prison.
Despite regulations and pilot programs, the problem of mobile phones in prisons remains serious. The government once awarded a contract worth £60,000 to study how to prevent mobile phones from entering prisons, but the results were not obvious.
The Serious Crime Act also introduced the possibility of forcing operators to disconnect the network, but the regulations have not yet been implemented. Steve Rogers pointed out that even if the network is disconnected, prisoners will quickly change Sim cards and mobile phones.
Implementation and difficulties of blocking technology
Although blocking technology can effectively disable mobile phones, the Prison Service is cautious about it. Prisons need to urgently reform, adopt new technologies to find and block mobile phones, and provide prison officers with the necessary tools.
Steve Rogers believes that prisons can measure the success of technology by monitoring the number of banned mobile phones. The prison administration listed detection equipment, routine searches, closed-circuit television, police dogs and penalties, but did not specify what technology is used to block mobile phone signals.
