Gov. Brown Signs Bill Banning Cellphones In Prisons
SACRAMENTO (CBS/AP) - Gov. Jerry Brown has signed a bill making it a misdemeanor to smuggle cell phones to California inmates while also ordering corrections officials to crack down on the problem.
Brown announced his signing of SB26 on Thursday. He said the bill by Democratic Sen. Alex Padilla of Los Angeles will help "break up an expanding criminal network" that uses contraband cell phones to organize crime from behind bars. Prison officials seized nearly 11,000 phones last year.
The bill makes it a misdemeanor for any prison employee or visitor to smuggle a cell phone into prison. Inmates caught with one would lose early release credits of up to 180 days.
Brown also issued an executive order calling for an increase in the number of searches on people entering prisons.
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