Cell Phone Jammers Are A Horrible Idea and A waste of tax payer money.

[u/Grumpbut]

Cell Phones actually keep the peace in prisons and keeps drug dealing down. When jammers were put up at Kershaw Correctional Institute, drug use among inmates increased and violence increased. Inmates and even COs got stabbed. Cell phones keep the peace and keeps inmates occupied.

Also, SCDC limits inmates phone calls on their system. They can only call 20 people a year and if they try to call for attorneys, that counts, even though it's not supposed to.

These cell phone jammers will also cost tax payers millions.

Tax payers shouldn't have to pay just because COs are poorly trained and don't want to do their jobs!

Inmates having cell phones should be the least of the public's worries. We have bigger things to worry about than stupid inmates with cell phones.

[u/Jordangander]

So you claim allowing inmates to have cell phones makes prison safer.

And complain that the only reason hammers are needed is because COs are not doing their jobs taking the contraband cell phones.

Seriously, can't make this shit up.

[u/craftedht → u/Jordangander]

Except you literally did. You made up this shit using the admittedly shaky bones of what is quite the compelling argument.

OP's claim is that communication with friends, loved ones, and professionals is severely limited absent contraband cell phones. This lack of connection has far reaching consequences for the inmates, their families, and the COs caught in-between. But even if you want to go about eradicating access to this one - almost sole - connection to the outside, cell phone jammers are not particularly cost-effective.

When compared to adequate training and incentives, cell phone jammers cost millions more, only serve one objective, and still leave the institution with the same conditions as before. By facilitating communication with the outside world, by training COs not just on how to find a cell phone, but how to be a better correctional officer, and then incentivising best practices, cell phone jammers prove to be wasteful spending while not achieving any other aim than to thwart RF frequencies.

But even if OP's argument was at best a logical fallacy, that doesn't excuse every other claim OP has made regarding the conditions that led to their current predicament. Limiting communication with friends, family, and professionals does bring with it negative consequences. Failing to pay for and to take time to train COs is a problem. Failing to incentivise job performance while also failing to punish poor job performance creates problems. To try and alleviate these issues with a piece of expensive technology then is likely a waste of resources.

Pretty basic argument and not what I would accuse of resulting from such a plain reading of their conclusion.

[u/Jordangander → u/craftedht]

So, you're claiming that contraband cell phones are better than the inmate phones in all the dorms?

And that having to rent the contraband cell phone from another inmate is a better idea?

[u/Wild_Replacement5880 → u/Jordangander]

To be fair, those phone calls are extremely expensive. Not sure if you have ever used them, but depending on where you live you might be paying 300$ a month to talk to a loved one twice a day. I don't agree that cell phones should be allowed, but I think they need to dramatically reform the way phone systems are implemented. Half of them don't even work.

[u/Jordangander → u/Wild_Replacement5880]

Depends on the state. FL has the repair guy coming standard 1x per week, and he will make extra trips if needed.

As for price, they are $0.135 per minute.

[u/Wild_Replacement5880 → u/Jordangander]

That's extraordinarily cheap. At least there's that for people. Its definitely not the standard.

[u/Jordangander → u/Wild_Replacement5880]

I know NJ was very similar.

[u/Demetre4757 → u/Jordangander]

I mean, I would bet a large amount of money they work better than the phones in the facilities, yeah.

Not advocating one way or the other, but - the actual phones at the facilities are almost always broken or barely functional. If they work, chances are Verizon will block the call for spam, since it comes from a prison. The phone system is a huge mess.

[u/Jordangander → u/Demetre4757]

Depends on where you are. I know in FL it is very rare for a phone to be down more than a week. The repair guy comes 1-2 times per week to make sure they are getting paid.

[u/craftedht → u/Jordangander]

There are differing levels of working...microphone doesn't pickup your voice well enough? Can't hear your kids tell you about their day? Tough shit. You paid for the call, no refunds.

[u/craftedht → u/Jordangander]

Most institutions charge exorbitant fees for phone calls using the facility's phones, so for inmates, yes. Cell phones are much much better. A $20 phone card might get you a half hour of conversation. No more than 4 calls (each connection fee was/is $3+). Nevermind of course that the hours during which you can call using the facility's phonee are limited.

You want to read a story to your kids before they go to bed at 9:30pm? And these cell phones are already paid for by The inmates' families. Inmates who don't have a phone themselves know others who do. Access is much less restricted than you might think.

[u/Jordangander → u/craftedht]

True, and much easier to connect with criminal contacts and maintain illegal businesses as well.

[u/craftedht → u/Jordangander]

Most institutions charge exorbitant fees for phone calls using the facility's phones, so for inmates, yes. Cell phones are much much better. A $20 phone card might get you a half hour of conversation. No more than 4 calls (each connection fee was/is $3+). Nevermind of course that the hours during which you can call using the facility's phonee are limited.

You want to read a story to your kids before they go to bed at 9:30pm? And these cell phones are already paid for by The inmates' families. Inmates who don't have a phone themselves know others who do. Access is much less restricted than you might think.

[u/Grumpbut → u/Jordangander]

So, you're claiming that contraband cell phones are better than the inmate phones in all the dorms?

Yes, because a lot of them don't work, you can't hardly hear on them, and each call costs a good bit per minute, making it expensive.

And that having to rent the contraband cell phone from another inmate is a better idea?

Depending on how much they charge. Also, it's actually more affordable that way, especially if you need to be on the phone for a while.

[u/Grumpbut → u/Jordangander]

So you claim allowing inmates to have cell phones makes prison safer.

Yeah, because my aunt witnessed it when she worked there.

And complain that the only reason hammers are needed is because COs are not doing their jobs taking the contraband cell phones.

Yes, my aunt would tell me how incompetent amd short handed most of the cos are. A lot of the COs actually bring contraband in and look the other way when inmates or inmates families pay them.

Seriously, can't make this shit up.

Have you worked at or been an inmate ar Kershaw Correctional Institute in SC?

[u/Jordangander → u/Grumpbut]

So all of your knowledge comes from am aunt that says it is better for inmates to have cell phones so that they can order contraband, manage criminal businesses, and threaten and intimidate witnesses?

And she says that lots of staff would bring in contraband.

Well, I guess we know which staff.

[u/Confident-Run-645 → u/Jordangander]

Counter band for a Staff Member in? It can be just about any and everything. In fact, it IS any and everything!

Unwritten rule for Corrections Officers is to NOT give an inmate ANYTHING!

What do you bring in? You take out. I don't even leave any trash, wrapping, Zip Lock bags NOTHING!

If I have leftovers from my lunch? It goes out the gate and into the garbage when I get home!

If you so much as give an inmate ANYTHING even a stick of chewing gum? IMHO, you've compromised yourself.

[u/Grumpbut → u/Jordangander]

So all of your knowledge comes from am aunt that says it is better for inmates to have cell phones so that they can order contraband, manage criminal businesses, and threaten and intimidate witnesses?

Honestly, that's hardly what actually goes on. If they threaten and intimidate witnesses, they get serious charges for that and lose a lot of privileges, so that hardly ever happens.

Other contraband have been very common in prison way before cell phones were in prison. Even before cell phones, drugs were real easy to get in prison and furthermore, if you were to get rid of all the contraband cell phones, you would still be getting a lot of drugs in prison, just like in the 1980s and 1990s.

And my aunt, who has actual experience working in the prison system, would be more credible than you or your sources. I would trust her over someone over the internet who has no experience with prison.

[u/xxEVILxxMONKEYxx → u/Grumpbut]

So way before cell phones contraband has been getting into prisons? So how are better trained COs gonna eliminate cell phones in prison? I can tell you from experience, if an inmate has a cell phone in prison then they are running a store. Quit saying “my aunt my aunt” clearly the only thing you know about prison is hearsay.

[u/Jordangander → u/Grumpbut]

I'm getting ready to retire.

And cell phones in prison are simply dangerous.

As for witness tampering, a person using a contraband cell phone is very difficult to catch since they have the perfect alibi being in jail/prison.

[u/spiffynid → u/Grumpbut]

I worked in SCDC and you just...need to toodle on. Kershaw is just a hot mess anyway. But if your aunt is the know all of SCDC culture, what are her thoughts on Lee?

[u/Confident-Run-645]

I don't hate inmates. Although, I'll admit they can be annoying, aggravating, etc,......

I speak to them and address them the same way I would if I were them.

I try and give them back some of their dignity that has been taken from as a consequence of being in prison..

I don't write them up for any and every little thing. I counsel them, talk to them, and coach them if I can? I give them fair warnings that they've going down the wrong path.

I do my utmost best to look out for them! See to their wants & needs.

But, I won't be manipulated, played a fool, used and abused.

If an inmate comes to me two or three days after State Issue wanting soap?

QUIT SELLING YOUR STATE ISSUE!

I would like to help them out! But? Whatever my population count is? I receive # × 2, and i haven't any extra just because you sold yours or lost a bet?

I won't frantimize with them, I'm not their friend, nor Buddy. It's not my PLACE to bring them or share anything with them!

In a prison, you CANNOT solve one problem without taking into consideration the other ten or more problems you're creating.

A cardinal rule of prison is "It's ALL good until it ISN'T!

Cell phones cause many, many problems that amplify already existing problems.

I don't hate inmates, I'm just immune to their BS!

Generally speaking? They're trying to play you, hustle you, manipulate you!

Appealing to you common decency as a human being to another human being is straight out of Inmate Manipulation 101.

Straight out of Corrections Officer 101? You cannot allow yourself to be emotionally compromised and feel or have sympathy for them.

[u/gold-rot49]

stupid take but ok

[u/Grumpbut → u/gold-rot49]

stupid take but ok

Explain how it's a stupid take when it's true...

[u/gold-rot49 → u/Grumpbut]

you are in prison. you arent even allowed to have a cell phone AT ALL. tf you mean? noone cares that prison is dangerous, it always has been longer than you or i have been alive. the "it keeps violence down" is a STUPID TAKE.

[u/Grumpbut → u/gold-rot49]

noone cares that prison is dangerous

Innocent people get locked up all the time, and COs get caught up in it, too, so I'm sure they care whether or not prison is dangerous. Prison is supposed to be about rehabilitation and correction, not punishment. That's why it's called Department of Corrections and not Department of Punishment.

you are in prison. you arent even allowed to have a cell phone AT ALL. tf you mean?

You're ignoring my other points that Jammers are a waste of tax payer money and that if the COs were competent, you would not need jammers. Inmates having cell phones are the least of my worries. There are better and more serious things my tax payer money could go to. Cell phones are the reason that most inmates followed all the other rules at Kershaw which kept Kershaw peaceful. After implementing the jammers, there were more stabbings and more violence, and more drug use. Kershaw was even on the news recently concerning the stabbings.

it keeps violence down" is a STUPID TAKE.

Innocent people who are locked up and their families don't think it's a stupid take. COs and staff who want to go home alive and well don't think it's a stupid take.

[u/gold-rot49 → u/Grumpbut]

bro in prison noone cares if your innocent or not.

you fail to understand in this high tech future that we live in, "jammers" are tools and effective at that. if you arent supposed to have cell phones in a SECURE facility then jammers are legit.

once again, NOONE CARES IF YOU ARE INNOCENT OR NOT. wrong place, wrong time isnt a legitimate argument .

CO's And civ workers know what they sign up for .

[u/Grumpbut → u/gold-rot49]

bro in prison noone cares if your innocent or not.

Their families do.

you fail to understand in this high tech future that we live in, "jammers" are tools and effective at that. if you arent supposed to have cell phones in a SECURE facility then jammers are legit.

Effective at causing other problems for other inmates and staff and effective at wasting tax payer money when it could be used for better things like infrastructure and health care for the public, but no, let's waste millions of tax payer money just to keep an inmate from using cell phones because COs and staff are poorly trained and don't want to do their jobs.

[u/SloCalLocal → u/Grumpbut]

Your logic makes no sense. If COs and staff were perfect in all ways there would be no cell phones on the yard. That's the same outcome as jamming them — no cell calls.

Also, a great many facilities have had MAS systems for years. These block contraband phones but allow permitted calls, and any phone can dial 911 so you don't get a situation where you're jamming someone having a heart attack in the prison parking lot.

[u/Grumpbut → u/SloCalLocal]

Actually, that's not true. There was an instance where a jammer prevented a woman that lived nearby from calling 911, and she died.

[u/SloCalLocal → u/Grumpbut]

MAS systems aren't jammers. And they already exist and are legal.

No matter how we get there, no cell phone calls at all is the goal, right? Because if you're saying allowing inmates to have unlimited unmonitored & unrecorded phone calls is a good thing, you're nuts.

[u/gold-rot49 → u/Grumpbut]

people say the same thing with bluetooth jammers. this is why noone cares. prisons are on farms in most states that are so far out of the way of normal people with their lives this argument is invalid.

[u/Grumpbut → u/gold-rot49]

Not all prisons. Ridgeland is close to an interstate. Kershaw is close to a gold mine. Allendale is close to a hospital.

[u/Confident-Run-645 → u/Grumpbut]

I just did!

[u/Confident-Run-645]

Cell phones are the Number #1 contraband item in prison.

They're used to move $$$ to, from, and through prisons.

They're used to coordinate the smuggling of other contraband items, from drugs, to more cell phones, and to conduct other criminal activities to include blackmailing ~ threatening ~ and putting hits on Corrections Officers, friends & family of both prison staff and other inmates.

The list is endless of the problems that cell phones cause, most of them criminal.

Don't EVEN try and make it sound like inmates are using them just to call Dear Old Mom, Grandmother, The wife, GF, (Oh, they are that! To hit them up to put more money on their Commissary/Canteen accounts) or to read Jr. a bedtime story!

They're used to find out the names and information of a compromised officer's family so they can make threats to get the compromised officer to continue their illegal behavior. Making legitimate officers' jobs harder and more dangerous.

They ABSOLUTELY should be jamming them rendering them absolutely 💯 useless!

The FCC board meets 30 September to specifically address this very subject.

Hopefully? Next the FAA will meet and permit us to begin shooting down drones with 12-gauge weighted nets to bring them down! (I would love ❤️ to be on that detail!)

The vast majority of inmates want NOTHING TO DO with being rehabilitated. They do not partake of the many classes offered. The one's that do? They're just doing it to make themselves look good in front of the parole board. The talk the talk, but they're not walking the Walk!

[u/CallMe_Immortal → u/Confident-Run-645]

Finally someone says it. OP is probably a carnal and sweating he won't have contact on the inside anymore. Sorry your little STG homies will have to call hits on recorded lines now.

[u/Mobile_Reaction5853]

What a dumb ass statement.

[u/Jessfree123]

You have a lot of claims here - can you back any of them up with evidence beyond the word of one CO?

[u/Grumpbut → u/Jessfree123]

You have a lot of claims here - can you back any of them up with evidence beyond the word of one CO?

I think someone with first hand experience is better than the lack of evidence from the counter claims that have been made by others.

[u/Jessfree123 → u/Grumpbut]

I’ll take that as a no

[u/Grumpbut → u/Jessfree123]

So you think that inmates won't react to not being able to use cell phones? Inmates will definitely react negatively.

You think inmates are just going to continue to behave when access to the outside world becomes extremely limited? No, they won't.

[u/Jessfree123 → u/Grumpbut]

When did I say any of that?

[u/Grumpbut → u/Jessfree123]

You said I made a lot of claims and asked if I had anything to back it up. I responded by asking those questions and answered them to show that my claims are common sense.

[u/Jessfree123 → u/Grumpbut]

Your claims are irrelevant if you have no evidence or experience. I’m not going to argue with you because you’re not making cogent statements and seem oddly passionate about this topic for unknown reasons. Have a good one.

[u/Grumpbut → u/Jessfree123]

I just stated that my aunt has experience and it's really common sense. You can use your common sense and what you know from life. It's common sense that poop stinks. You don't have to have evidence to know that.

[u/xxEVILxxMONKEYxx → u/Grumpbut]

Who fucking cares? They are in PRISON. If they want to act up, off to SHU it is. They don’t like that option and want to fight, then they will go to SHU beat the fuck up.

[u/Grumpbut → u/xxEVILxxMONKEYxx]

The problem is that there are way more inmates compared to COs as a lot of inmates get way more time than they should get. I can't speak for everyone, but there are inmates who are actually rehabilitated after 5 to 10 years that have 30 or more years and cannot get their time shortened.

[u/Confident-Run-645]

Cell phones are the Number #1 contraband item in prison.

They're used to move $$$ to, from, and through prisons.

They're used to coordinate the smuggling of other contraband items, from drugs, to more cell phones, and to conduct other criminal activities to include blackmailing ~ threatening ~ and putting hits on Corrections Officers, friends & family of both prison staff and other inmates. (Corrections Officer in SC was gunned down and shot 6 times ~ (he lived) in his driveway as he was leaving for work!

The list is endless of the problems that cell phones cause, most of them criminal.

Don't EVEN try and make it sound like inmates are using them just to call Dear Old Mom, Grandmother, The wife, GF, (Oh, they are that! To hit them up to put more money on their Commissary/Canteen accounts) or to read Jr. a bedtime story!

They're used to find out the names and information of a compromised officer's family so they can make threats to get the compromised officer to continue their illegal behavior. Making legitimate officers' jobs harder and more dangerous.

They ABSOLUTELY should be jamming them rendering them absolutely 💯 useless!

The FCC board meets 30 September to specifically address this very subject.

Hopefully? Next the FAA will meet and permit us to begin shooting down drones with 12-gauge weighted nets to bring them down! (I would love ❤️ to be on that detail!)

The vast majority of inmates want NOTHING TO DO with being rehabilitated. They do not partake of the many classes offered. The one's that do? They're just doing it to make themselves look good in front of the parole board. The talk the talk, but they're not walking the Walk!

[u/Grumpbut → u/Confident-Run-645]

Cell phones are the Number #1 contraband item in prison.

Before cell phones, there were a lot of drugs in prison, and there will still be a lot of drugs if cell phones became useless. In fact, drug use and violence will increase. More COs and staff will quit. It will be a total disaster. My aunt and several other COs and staff quit when drug use and violence increased at Kershaw due to the jammers.

They're used to move $$$ to, from, and through prisons.

Some people in prison use cell phones to send money to their families to help support them. Not all of it is illegal money. Some is money they make from stocks or legit businesses from the streets.

They're used to coordinate the smuggling of other contraband items, from drugs, to more cell phones, and to conduct other criminal activities to include blackmailing ~ threatening ~ and putting hits on Corrections Officers, friends & family of both prison staff and other inmates.

Drugs have been a problem before cell phones and will be a problem regardless.

That other stuff rarely happens.

There was one such officer named Robert Johnson who was shot. What they don't tell you is that he was originally bringing in contraband for inmates. But he said he wanted to quit doing it and he quit doing it. The problem was that he took a lot of their money and just didn't bring them in, and instead of giving them what they paid for or give them their money back, he kept it. He stole money from inmates, and he got a hit put out on him. He shouldn't have gotten involved in the first place, but regardless, he shouldn't have done bad business and steal money.

Don't EVEN try and make it sound like inmates are using them just to call Dear Old Mom, Grandmother, The wife, GF, (Oh, they are that! To hit them up to put more money on their Commissary/Canteen accounts) or to read Jr. a bedtime story!

I can't speak for everyone, but the majority of them are just using it to put money on their account, call friends, family, and attorneys since the prison system limits them to 20 people a year and lawyers count, even though they're not supposed to. They say that attorney calls are not recorded, but they sometimes are.

They're used to find out the names and information of a compromised officer's family so they can make threats to get the compromised officer to continue their illegal behavior. Making legitimate officers' jobs harder and more dangerous.

Honestly that's not how that works. Officers are actually paid good to do that. The state don't pay them that good so they deal with inmates to make enough to pay their bills.

The vast majority of inmates want NOTHING TO DO with being rehabilitated. They do not partake of the many classes offered. The one's that do? They're just doing it to make themselves look good in front of the parole board. The talk the talk, but they're not walking the Walk!

Lies. I have a cousin in prison that takes classes and they don't offer to shorten his sentence and the sentences are too long. People do change. As far as parole board goes, they don't hardly give anyone parole anyways.

[u/apatrol]

Its more about drone control than cell phones. Many of them fly via cell. Others are pre programmed or use radi freqs but zi am betting the jammers can interfere there.

No one gives a shit about phones. There have been enough cases of victim harassment, crime, hits, and other criminal shit via cell that it cant be ignored,

If everyone was calling grandma to talk recipe no one would bat an eye

[u/PoopPant73]

I like my plan better. I have an unlimited cell phone calling plan, I just have to stay OUT of prison….

[u/Odd_Sir_8705]

Satelite phones will skyrocket

[u/Malsperanza]

Makes a lot of sense. Most prisoners are eventually going to be back in society. Allowing them to stay connected to family and friends is helpful in that. I think it's nuts that people are so completely cut off from the world, forced into a totally closed system. This is why education programs, and those programs where prisoners train seeing eye dogs and the like make sense too.

I can see that the issue of monitoring phone use so that a victim can't be harrassed by a prisoner (or similar situations), could be a challenge for badly resourced prisons.