Renowned state prosecutors from across the nation are reiterating their plea to Congress, urging the passage of legislation that would empower state prisons to interfere with cellphone signals utilized by inmates. These prosecutors contend that these devices facilitate the planning of violent acts and the execution of crimes.

A letter penned by 22 Republican prosecutors, led by South Carolina Attorney General Alan Wilson, was sent to House Speaker Kevin McCarthy and Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer. The prosecutors stressed the importance of Congress passing legislation that would grant states the authority to establish a cell phone jamming system. The primary objective of this system is to ensure the safety of inmates, guards, and the general public.

According to Wilson's office, they have plans to communicate with Democratic state prosecutors, highlighting that the issue is not driven by partisanship.

The attorneys have furnished a letter to The Associated Press, which references several criminal incidents. According to the attorneys, these incidents were orchestrated by inmates using illegal cellphones. Notable among these incidents are a drug conspiracy in Tennessee and a double homicide hit that was allegedly ordered by an inmate from Indiana.

Moreover, a 2018 gang-related siege that unfolded at a prison in South Carolina was also cited. This distressing event lasted for over seven hours and resulted in the tragic deaths of seven inmates. One prisoner vividly described the horrifying scene of bodies piled on top of each other, resembling a macabre woodpile. Corrections officials placed blame on the coordinated violence, which stands as the most severe prison riot in the United States in the last 25 years, partly on the presence of illicit cellphones.

The prosecutors contended that if inmates were denied the use of contraband cell phones, it would serve as an effective means to prevent the proliferation of drug trafficking, deadly riots, and various other criminal activities.

Prosecutors are demanding a modification in a federal communications law that has been in effect for nearly a century, as it currently prohibits state prisons from employing jamming signal technology to render illicit cell signals useless. This change is necessary to counter the methods used to transport phones, including concealing them inside hollowed-out footballs, smuggling them in through corrupt employees, and occasionally even dropping them via drones.

The ongoing battle against illegal cellphones in state prisons has been a long-standing endeavor, championed by South Carolina Corrections Director Bryan Stirling. He has been at the forefront of a nationwide movement among corrections directors, urging for the adoption of advanced technology to crack down on contraband phones.

In 2021, a significant triumph was realized when the Federal Communications Commission implemented a regulation that would enable state prison systems to seek permits for the purpose of identifying and disabling illegal cell signals, one by one, in collaboration with cellphone providers. South Carolina was the first state to apply for this technology, but Stirling informed AP on Tuesday that no progress has been made on the state's application.

Stirling clarified that federal prisons are permitted to block cell signals within their walls, although they have not yet taken advantage of this allowance.

Jamming technology is met with opposition from CTIA, a wireless industry group, as it fears the potential disruption of lawful phone calls. Nonetheless, according to a 2020 FCC document, CTIA has informed the commission that it has been successfully working alongside its member companies to discontinue service to contraband devices in compliance with court orders they have obtained.

Calling combating contraband phones “a serious issue,” CTIA officials said in a statement to the AP that the “wireless industry remains committed to working with corrections officials and policymakers at all levels of government to implement effective solutions that combat contraband phones while protecting lawful communications.”

Despite an email request for comment on the renewed push for jamming, the FCC officials have not promptly replied.

The topic of jamming legislation has been previously examined by Congress, but no bills have been passed into law or even received a hearing. U.S. Senator Tom Cotton, a Republican from Arkansas, reintroduced a comparable proposal in August during the previous Congress.

“We’re not going to stop advocating,” Wilson told AP on Tuesday. “I can only hope that at some point, Congress is going to take note.”