Jamming the line: cutting off crime behind bars

Attorney General Todd Rokita combats contraband cell phones in prisons

Submitted by Office of the Attorney General

Rokita

Indiana Attorney General Todd Rokita announced on Wednesday a bipartisan coalition effort to address the growing threat of contraband cell phones in prisons by advocating for the use of phone jamming technology.

Joined by 30 attorneys general from across the nation, AG Rokita is calling on the U.S. House and Senate to pass legislation to lift outdated restrictions and allow state and local correctional facilities to deploy jamming devices to halt illegal activities orchestrated from behind bars.

“Hoosiers deserve to feel safe, and that means stopping criminals from running their operations from inside prison walls,” AG Rokita said. “Contraband phones aren’t just a nuisance. They’re weapons, and we’re fighting to disarm inmates.”

Contraband cell phones have become dangerous tools in the hands of incarcerated individuals, enabling them to coordinate crimes such as drug trafficking, gang violence, and even hits on law enforcement and civilians. In Indiana alone, the Department of Correction seizes hundreds of phones every year, and many more elude detection. Federal restrictions on the use of jamming technology exacerbate this problem.

The coalition’s letter to Congress highlights how inmates exploit contraband phones to:

• Direct drug trafficking operations
• Orchestrate violence inside and outside prison walls
• Run sophisticated fraud schemes preying on vulnerable citizens
• Intimidate witnesses and terrorize victims’ families
• Plot escape attempts endangering law enforcement and the public

By disrupting illicit cell phone signals, jamming technology would sever the lifeline that inmates use to perpetrate crimes while preserving the safety of correctional officers, visitors and the public. A 2020 survey of 20 state corrections departments uncovered 25,840 contraband cell phones in a single year, a stark reminder of the scale of the problem.