NV Prisons Chief Aims to Stop Illegal Cell Phone Use
Even though it’s illegal to give cell phones to inmates, a significant number of Nevada prisoners still manage to procure and use cell phones. To help combat this issue, Nevada prison chief Howard Skolnik advocates using signal-jamming technology in prisons. Skolnik explained, "We don't always know what's inside our institutions, so the best way for us is, if these unauthorized cell phones get in, to make sure they aren't functional.”
Skolnik recounts how Kenneth “Jody” Thompson, who had been doing time at the Northern Nevada Correctional Center for grand larceny and robbery in Nevada, used a smuggled cell phone to orchestrate his escape in August 2005. Thompson then proceeded to commit robbery in Nevada several more times before being recaptured.
All non-governmental radio communications is subject to Federal Communications Commission (FCC) rules. Currently, FCC permits only federal agencies to jam cell phone signals, which excludes state prison systems.
