S.C. prisons assessing anti-cellphone tech
Correctional Officer Jose Sandoval inspects one of the more than 2,000 cell phones confiscated from inmates at California State Prison, Solano in Vacaville, Calif.
COLUMBIA (AP) - South Carolina prison officials are assessing a system intended to block cellphones smuggled inside by inmates.
Corrections Department Director Bryan Stirling said 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.
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.