Murrill wants to curb contraband cell phones in prisons

Louisiana Attorney General Liz Murrill has joined a bipartisan coalition of 30 attorneys general calling on Congress to pass federal legislation allowing states to deploy cell phone jamming systems in prisons.

Introduced by Tennessee Congressman David Kustoff and Arkansas Senator Tom Cotton, the bills (H.R. 2350 and S. 1137) aim to disrupt inmates’ ability to orchestrate crimes from behind bars using smuggled cell phones.

"The states should have authority to use this technology if they choose,” Murrill said. “This is not a partisan issue – it is a matter of public safety that affects every State and community.”

Murrill | File photo

Tennessee AG Jonathan Skrmetti is leading the coalition of AGs.

“Contraband cell phones pose a serious risk to public safety when criminals reach beyond prison walls and continue terrorizing our communities,” Skrmetti said. “This legislation finally gives states the tools they need to stop this illegal and dangerous activity.”

The coalition’s letter to Congress highlights how inmates exploit contraband phones to:

• Direct drug trafficking operations;
• Orchestrate violence inside and outside prison walls;
• Run sophisticated fraud schemes preying on vulnerable citizens;
• Intimidate witnesses and terrorize victims’ families; and
• Plot escape attempts endangering law enforcement and the public.

Federal law currently bans states from using cell phone jamming technology, leaving correctional facilities defenseless against an escalating threat. Carefully designed to avoid disrupting emergency signals such as 9-1-1, H.R. 2350 and S. 1137 would grant states the authority to deploy targeted jamming systems within prisons.

“This is not a partisan issue — it is a matter of public safety,” the letter says while noting the bipartisan urgency of the issue. A 2020 survey of 20 state corrections departments uncovered 25,840 contraband cell phones in a single year.

In addition to Skrmetti, the attorneys general of Georgia, North Carolina and the U.S. Virgin Islands are leading the coalition. Murrill also is joined by the attorneys general of Alabama, Alaska, Arizona, Arkansas, Connecticut, Florida, Indiana, Iowa, Kentucky, Maryland, Michigan, Mississippi, Nebraska, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Mexico, North Dakota, Northern Mariana Islands, Ohio, Oklahoma, Oregon, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, Texas, Virginia and West Virginia in calling on Congress to pass this legislation.