Cell Phone Ban Support Letter to Legislators
Written by CCA President and CEO, Damon Hininger
Legislators,
Cell phones are quickly surpassing tobacco and drugs as the number one contraband item in our nation’s prison and jail system today. We need to look no further than the several recent examples of how contraband cell phones have played roles in serious criminal activity. These include threats to judicial and government officials, escape incidents and the furtherance of gang related crime, both inside and outside correctional facilities. Unfortunately, even the best operational security protocols within correctional facilities have been unable to deter 100 percent of this cell phone contraband.
As a leading correctional provider, CCA fully supports national efforts to combat prison cell phone contraband. In that regard, we urge you and other elected officials to vote for the Safe Prisons Communications Act of 2009, authored by U.S. Senator Kay Bailey Hutchison (S.251). This legislation would enable correctional agencies to utilize existing technology to block cell phone signals within prisons, jails and detention centers. We believe the endorsement of this Act will quickly increase the security of all correctional facilities in our country, ultimately providing greater safety to the communities we are here to protect.
On behalf of the 17,500 correctional employees within the CCA system, I thank you in advance for your support of this critically-important legislation. As always, I welcome the opportunity to provide you with a tour of any of our correctional centers or answer specific questions related to the matter of cell phone contraband, or any broader topics related to partnership corrections.
Sincerely,
Damon Hininger
President and Chief Executive Officer