Block mobile phones in prison? Now jails rush to boost signal!
PrIsOn bosses are installing equipment to allow inmates in old jails to make mobile phone calls – after years spent trying to block them.
The use of illicit devices to target victims has been a huge problem for governors.
but officials have now been distributing handsets to all inmates after the coronavirus pandemic meant visiting had to be suspended.
However, some older prisons such as barlinnie in Glasgow have thick walls and prisoners find it hard to use their phones.
sources say booster equipment is being fitted to enhance the signal and enable them to phone pre-approved contacts.
The move comes after years of jail chiefs cracking down on illicit mobile phone usage, including inmates using them for criminal purposes. Last night, there was concern over the scheme after it emerged some 999 nuisance calls had been made using the handsets.
scottish Tory justice spokesman Liam Kerr said: ‘The fact some prisoners are already making nuisance calls does not bode well.
‘ministers must be certain that criminals will not be able to take advantage of this move in any way.’
He added: ‘The snP must ensure victims are protected and any hint of abuse must be dealt with very severely.’
signal-jamming equipment helps to prevent inmates from using smuggled handsets. but it is not always switched on so that police can intercept calls – as revealed by the mail in 2018.
Governors hope the handsets being given to around 7,000 inmates will cut illicit usage.
Inmates can call only approved numbers. Officials say that if they tried to contact a victim the recipient of the call would be told by automated message that a prisoner was on the line.
Inmates at one facility made bogus 999 calls hours after they were given the basic handsets, which are not smartphones.
mobiles given to inmates at Polmont Young Offenders Institution near Falkirk led to a flurry of calls on Wednesday last week.
but scottish Prison service (sPs) bosses failed to account for each mobile being enabled to call 999 services, which meant inmates created mischief. many prisoners had their phones confiscated and were warned they could face further action.
every inmate of the 400-strong Polmont community – which includes child killer Aaron Campbell – was given a handset, with 310 free minutes. A security system records calls.
A prison source said: ‘The phones were given out on Wednesday and by that evening the sPs had loads of complaints from Police scotland.
‘One of the prisoners was telling his pals he’d called to complain he was locked in a building with dangerous paedophiles. The boys who made calls are being rounded up... they might live to regret their actions.’
The sPs said: ‘The phones allow contact between those in custody and friends and family. Family contact is a proven tool in the rehabilitation process.
‘some prison properties have been less receptive to signals and work is in train to try to ensure a reasonable signal.’
‘Already making nuisance calls’