Inmates found with cell phones could face felony charges

NASHVILLE, Tenn. — Inmates in Tennessee correctional facilities may face felony charges if they are found with a cell phone or telecommunication device after July 1, 2021, according to a news release.

The new law will go in effect on July 1 after it was signed in April, the release says.

Introducing a telecommunications device into a correctional facility was already including in a previous law, though possession of those devices was not a criminal offense, the release says.

“Contraband cellphones are a significant security threat, that makes possible the type of illegal activity that leads to criminal conspiracies between people inside our correctional environment and those on the outside,” said Tennessee Department of Correction Commissioner Tony Parker. “Inmates use these cellphones to engage in drug operations, sex trafficking, and other organized criminal activities that cause devastating consequences for public safety, and empower these criminals to continue a life of crime.”

Between July 2020 and March 2021 the Tennessee Department of Correction’s Office of Investigations and Conduct confiscated more than 2,500 cell phones from TDOC facilities, the release says.