BILL
Sponsor__Mohammad Chowdhury
Co-Sponsor________
Club: Y&G Patrick Taylor _
Bill #______________
Committee__________
Committee Action_____
Senate Action________
House Action_________
Governor’s Action_____
AN ACT
TO: Jam and/or Intercept Cell Phone Signals in Prisons
BE IT ENACTED BY THE YMCA YOUTH LEGISLATURE OF LOUISIANA
SECTION I
Jam and/or Intercept Cell Phone Signals in Prisons
This bill will prevent prisoners from using illegally smuggled cell phones for any reason.
Seeing as prisoners have smuggled cell phones, many of which are smart phones, prisons
should implement a system called managed access.
If, for any reason, the government or a well positioned officer has a belief that a prisoner is
organizing a crime that may occur within the prison or outside the prison, security officials
have the right to intercept the data going through the prison walls.
In accordance with the PATRIOT Act of 2001, the interception of cell phone signals in prisons
is constitutional because prisoners pose a threat in the form of domestic terrorism.
Furthermore, since this act will also grant prisons the option of jamming cell phone signals,
there may be some discrepancies with the interpretation of the Communications Act of 1934
with amendments added by the more recent Telecommunication Act of 1996. However, this
act does not concern “authorized users” of cell phones; instead, it concerns prisoners who are
not permitted to use cell phones within United State’s prisons.
Managed Access: a system that establishes a network that can detect and prevent every call,
text, and cell phone data entering the parameters of the prison
The Communications Act of 1934: prohibits the blocking of cell phone and radio signals to
authorized users.
SECTION II
(Implementation)
This act shall be implemented in all adult state prisons and parish jails. Private prisons have
the option of implementing cell phone signal jamming systems and/or interception systems.
SECTION III
Funds provided to the Louisiana Department of Public Safety and Corrections will be allocated
to the installment and management of jamming systems and managed access.
SECTION IV
No major penalties will be imposed on prisoners who smuggle in phones. Instead, this act will
show prisoners that their cell phones, within the parameters of the prison, are useless.
SECTION V
SEVERABILITY CLAUSE
If any provision of the Act or the application thereof to any person or circumstance is held
invalid the invalidity does not affect the other provisions or applications of the Act which can
be given effect without the invalid provision or application, and to this end the provisions of
the Act are severable.
SECTION VI
REPEALER CLAUSE
All laws or parts of laws in conflict herewith are hereby repealed.
http://www.nytimes.com/2011/01/03/us/03prisoners.html?pagewanted
=2
http://www.boston.com/business/technology/articles/2010/10/01/pr
ison_chief_eyes_new_cell_phone_intercept_system/