COLUMBIA, S.C. (AP) - South Carolina prison officials are assessing a system intended to block cellphones smuggled inside by inmates.
Corrections Department Director Bryan Stirling says officials will be at Lee Correctional Institution in Bishopville on Wednesday to review how a system known as managed access is working.
Managed access interferes with cell signals in a designated area. It doesn’t jam all signals, a technology Stirling has said would make his prisons safer.
People were interested in these podcasts
The state prison system bans inmates from possessing cellphones, saying they are a top security threat because they can help inmates commit crimes. That includes coordinating drug distribution or plotting violent uprisings like a deadly riot earlier this year at Lee.
Officials also use netting, cameras and even drones to try to snuff out cellphones and other contraband at the prisons.
Please read our comment policy before commenting.