Tennessee – Tennessee Attorney General Jonathan Skrmetti today spearheaded a bipartisan coalition of 30 attorneys general urging Congress to pass H.R. 2350 and S. 1137, federal legislation that would allow states to deploy cell phone jamming systems in prisons.

The bill, introduced by Tennessee Congressman David Kustoff and Arkansas Senator Tom Cotton, seeks to address the growing issue of inmates using contraband cell phones to orchestrate criminal activities from behind bars.

“Contraband cell phones pose a serious risk to public safety when criminals reach beyond prison walls and continue terrorizing our communities,” said Attorney General Skrmetti. “This legislation finally gives states the tools they need to stop this illegal and dangerous activity.”

In their letter to Congress, the coalition emphasized how inmates use smuggled phones to:

– Direct drug trafficking operations
– Orchestrate violence both inside and outside of prison walls
– Run fraud schemes that target vulnerable citizens
– Intimidate witnesses and terrorize victims’ families
– Plan escape attempts, putting law enforcement and the public at risk

Under current federal law, states are prohibited from using cell phone jamming technology, leaving correctional facilities vulnerable to these threats. H.R. 2350 and S. 1137 are designed to allow states to deploy targeted jamming systems within prisons while ensuring that essential emergency signals, like 9-1-1, remain unaffected.

“This is not a partisan issue—it is a matter of public safety,” the letter stresses, underlining the urgency of the issue from both sides of the political aisle. A 2020 survey of 20 state corrections departments revealed that 25,840 contraband cell phones were seized in just one year, underscoring the magnitude of the problem.

Attorney General Skrmetti, along with the attorneys general of Georgia, North Carolina, and the U.S. Virgin Islands, is leading the charge, joined by counterparts from Alabama, Alaska, Arizona, Arkansas, Connecticut, Florida, Iowa, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maryland, Michigan, Mississippi, Nebraska, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Mexico, North Dakota, Northern Mariana Islands, Ohio, Oklahoma, Oregon, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, Texas, Virginia, and West Virginia. Together, they are calling for Congress to act decisively and pass this crucial legislation in 2025.