A Clark County Jail inmate was recently found with a phone that was likely smuggled in through a body cavity, Kelly said.
“People hide them in body cavities. They try to conceal them under fat trying to carry them into the jail,” Kelly said.
“We are prohibited from doing cavity searches without a search warrant and probable cause.”
The problem is not new to the state prison system. The number of cellphones confiscated in the system since 2008 quadrupled to 201 last year.
Valued at $25 on the street, the phones can sell for upwards of $700 behind prison walls, according to the Ohio Department of Corrections.
Springfield resident Angel Frye was bringing crossword puzzles to a friend in jail Tuesday. She said she’s OK with cellphones being banned.
“Inmates get a lot of things in here by sticking them up in places (the guards) don’t look,” Frye said.
Inmates have access to a phone, she pointed out, and don’t need cellphones to call people.
New body scanners similar to those found at airports could help guards locate contraband. But they are expensive, Kelly said. He’s looking into whether one could be purchased using revenues generated by inmates making purchases at the jail commissary.
Contraband such as cellphones and tobacco have been connected to gang activity and violence, state officials said.
But since possessing such items is not considered illegal, inmates only face in-house charges — no criminal punishment. Kelly said stiffer penalties are needed to discourage smuggling.
“I would like to see the state Legislature make it a crime to bring any item into a correctional facility that’s considered contraband,” Kelly said. “These are a threat to every deputy and inmate in the jail.”
Staff Writer Tom Beyerlein contributed to this report.
About the Author