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Access Quote by Kim Severson

“Although prison officials have long battled illegal cellphones, smartphones have changed the game. With Internet access, a prisoner can call up phone directories, maps and photographs for criminal purposes, corrections officials and prison security experts say. Gang violence and drug trafficking…” quote by Kim Severson
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“Although prison officials have long battled illegal cellphones, smartphones have changed the game. With Internet access, a prisoner can call up phone directories, maps and photographs for criminal purposes, corrections officials and prison security experts say. Gang violence and drug trafficking, they say, are increasingly being orchestrated online, allowing inmates to keep up criminal behavior even as they serve time.”

Kim Severson

About This Quote

Source Article: The New York Times, “Smartphones in Prison,” 2023

Smartphones give inmates internet access, enabling sophisticated criminal coordination despite incarceration.

In simple terms: Phones let prisoners organize crimes online.

Key Takeaway

Address digital security in prisons.

Themes

technology crime prison security

Mood

concerned urgent

Type

policy analysis

When to use this quote

  • correctional facility management
  • law enforcement
  • public safety

Key Concepts

digital surveillance policy reform

Questions to Reflect On

  • How can prisons limit illicit phone use without infringing rights?
  • What alternative communication methods could be safe?
A Different Perspective

Balancing inmate rights with security measures is challenging.

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