NCJ Number
236414
Date Published
September 2011
Length
44 pages
Annotation
This report to Congressional Committees examines both the problem of contraband cell phones in prisons and the telephone rates charged by correctional institutions.
Abstract
The Government Accountability Office (GAO) conducted a study mandated by the Cell Phone Contraband Act of 2010 to examine both the problem of contraband cell phone in prisons and the telephone rates charged by correctional institutions. The study found that the telephone rates charged by the Bureau of Prisons (BOP) are typically less than the rates charged by other correctional systems. The GAO notes that while lowering the rates would decrease the costs to inmates, it could also reduce the amount of revenue available to fund inmate wages and recreational services for inmates. The review also examined the problem of contraband cell phones in prisons which officials believe threatens institutional safety and expands criminal activity. The GAO found that in 2010 the BOP and other correctional systems confiscated thousands of contraband cell phones using newly implemented cell phone search and detection technologies. The focus of this report was to examine the following issues: how BOP's inmate telephone rates compare to those charged by other correctional systems, and how the funds generated from these services are used; how many cell phones have been confiscated within BOP and other State institutions, and the impact that contraband cell phone use has on prison security and criminal activity; and the extent that BOP and other correctional institutions have taken steps to prevent or minimize cell phone smuggling and use in prison. Recommendations are included in the report to help BOP respond more effectively to the problem of contraband cell phone use by inmates. Tables, figures, and appendixes