They say it would disrupt the ability of the prison inmates using smuggled cell phones.
Md. Attorney General Anthony Brown
Baltimore, Md (KM) A bipartisan coalition of state attorneys general across the country are calling on Congress to pass legislation to allow states to deploy cell phone jamming equipment. One of them is Maryland Attorney General Anthony Brown.
:”Contraband cell phones are not just a security risk—they are a direct threat to public safety, allowing dangerous individuals to orchestrate violent crimes, traffic drugs and terrorize victims form behind bars,” says Attorney General Brown, in a statement. “Maryland correctional officers and law enforcement are fighting a growing battle against these illicit communications, and we need every tool available to shut them down. This legislation is a critical step to prevent prisons from become command centers for crime, and Congress must act now to give states the authority to protect their communities.”
These cell phone jamming devices transmit on the same radio frequencies as mobile phones. They can disrupt communications between the phone and the cell tower which disables mobile phones with the jammer’s range..
“This is not a partisan issue–it is a matter of public safety,” the letter from the attorneys general says.
A 2020 survey of 20 state corrections departments uncovered 25,540 contraband cell phones in a single, year, according to the attorneys general letter.
The Maryland Attorney General’s Office says a massive contraband smuggling operation was detected at Roxbury State Prison in Hagerstown. It included the use of cell phones to operate a complex identity theft scheme. That case was prosecuted in 2023.
By Kevin McManus