State prison officials and the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) met Wednesday in the country’s capital to discuss banned cell phones in prisons.
South Carolina Correctional Commissioner Bryan Stirling attends meeting and represents SC
Sterling said it was the first time prison officials, the Federal Communications Commission and the Justice Department had sat down to discuss a solution to a prison cellphone problem.
One solution that Sterling has been fighting for years is to plug cell phones into prison, but this is illegal.
“We remind and warn consumers that using a portable jammer or similar device that intentionally interferes, blocks or interferes with radio communications such as cell phones, police radars, etc. violates federal law, GPS and Wi-Fi,” the FCC said on its website.
Sterling said: “I believe that micro interference or interference will work in general. If the industry wants to provide us with other solutions, we are willing to listen and hope to cooperate with them.”
According to Sterling, 6,200 mobile phones or parts were found in South American prisons last year.
According to Sterling, this is a global problem, as detainees continue to commit crimes in prisons, which is dangerous.
He said he is ready to provide alternative products for mobile phone jammers with the help of the mobile phone industry.
Overall, Sterling said he said Wednesday’s meeting was “very productive.”
At the meeting, representative Mark Sanford also said that the meeting was “a step in the right direction.”
Prison authorities in Mississippi, Tennessee and Indiana also attended the meeting.