Baltimore Crime Beat: Cell phones behind bars to become felony?
The crime blog's Peter Hermann examines a bill to increase the penalties of having a cell phone in prison.
"Gary D. Maynard, the secretary of Maryland's Public Safety and Correctional Services, is testifying in Annapolis today on a bill to turn having a cell phone in a prison into a felony worth up to five years more behind bars. At the moment, it's only a misdemeanor.
The issue has been a priority especially since the Carl Lackl case which a man behind prison walls was able to put a successful hit on a witness while using a pilfered cell phone. Since then, authorities have stepped up their fight against smuggled phones and there are attempts to change the law to allow police to block cell phone signals at prisons."
Comments
If a correctional officer is involved in bringing the cell phone in, she should be charged with a felony because she has violated her position of trust. A regular person who does the same should only be charged with a misdemeanor.
Posted by: coldspringer | January 23, 2010 9:50 AM