Prison cellphone jamming gets its first test in Maryland
By Joseph L. Flatley 
posted February 17th 2010 2:09PM
posted February 17th 2010 2:09PM
As we wait for the Safe Prisons Communication Act to pass the House, word comes out of Maryland that FCI Cumberland will begin testing cellphone jamming technology this week. As you well know, critics of the plan have voiced concerns that the technology could interfere with emergency response and legitimate cell phone use near prisons, but the state is determined to put those criticisms to rest -- and to keep inmates from using contraband cellphones for prank calling the warden's wife, sexting folks on the outside, ordering brutal execution-style "hits" on people, and quite frankly bedeviling the law-abiding citizens that prisons are meant to protect. We can't help but wonder how HBO's Oz would have turned out differently if this had happened ten years ago.
Instead of jamming the signal, why not triangulate it to see exactly where it is coming from..
@jim777
Someone's been watching too many movies.
While it is fairly trivial to jam the voice network, jamming the data network is much harder. Also you can jam pretty effectively over small areas without hurting the outside world. My uni jams some specific rooms for testing and sure enough I can re-connect about 50-100ft away. Data uses a much wider spectrum and frequency hopping, so it will take a significantly more power to cover the entire data spectrum.
I think they should have put more "GoPhone" type devices in the Photoshop above.. Think about it - What phone would you rather smuggle into prison in a body cavity, a Nexus One or a tiny Motorola?
Ten years down the line, inmates will sue for eye cancer caused by jamming signals.
Next Steps: Get JAMMERS INTO SCHOOLS.
When the bell rings, your call ends. Period. Then you get your sorry ass to class.
Seriously. I teach in the jungle of Hayward, California. We need jammers at least as badly as the prisons do.
@Dan Fruzzetti No, you take their phone from them. Then hand them to their parents when they come in. Though I think corporal punishment needs to be reimplemented as well.
@Dan Fruzzetti
+1. School is for learning, not texting.
I actually live just 3 miles from that prison. I'll be watching my signal closely when driving by.
@iMODeverything
You need to have your eyes on the road, not your phone.
Cell phone jammers are cheaply and readily available. While you can make a super powerful and expensive one that wipes out one city block worth of coverage, the majority of these jammers have a hard time penetrating walls. If you live close enough to a prison that these little jammers interfere with your signal in your bedroom, you're probably doing time.
Wait... Cumberland? That's like 20 minutes from where I live! I'm in Cumberland all the time. I don't go to Cresaptown (the actual location of the prison) too often but if I do and notice any trouble with cell service in the surrounding area or if I hear anything to that effect, I'll send you Engadget folks a tip.
maybe they should just paint all all the inmate cells with some wonderful lead paint! problem solved, no fancy technology to worry about, seems like a win-win! right?