TRENTON – Legislation sponsored by Senator Ronald L. Rice to toughen the penalty for possessing a cell phone or other electronic communications devices in prison as a strong deterrent against gang members organizing riots in jails and drug crimes on the streets was approved by the full Senate today.
“In a time when homeland security and gang violence are of such critical concern, we need to step up our efforts and further deter those already convicted from committing any more crimes,” said Senator Rice, D-Essex. “There is a growing problem among inmates who are using cell phones to orchestrate criminal activity outside of the prison. It has also been suggested that inmates have been found using cell phone to plot prison uprisings.”