US prisons use new tech to dial down illegal cellphones

US prison officials harness new technology to crack down on contraband cellphones but some still want powers to jam signals. — Photo by Hédi Benyounes on Unsplash

RICHMOND, Virginia: As director of South Carolina’s Department of Corrections, Bryan Stirling believes he knows what is needed to make the state’s 21 penal institutions safer while also protecting people outside the prison walls.

Ideally, Stirling would like to have the power to jam phone signals from the state’s prisons to tackle the scourge of illegal cellphones being used to facilitate crimes ranging from sex trafficking to murder-for-hire and drug dealing.