Governor Corzine's Statement Regarding Administration's Initiatives to Crack Down on Cell Phones in Prison

TRENTON - Governor Jon S. Corzine issued the following statement regarding an announcement by Attorney General Anne Milgram and the New Jersey Department of Corrections that 35 inmates have been indicted for illegal possession of cell phones in state prisons:

"My administration is sending a message, loud and clear: we will not tolerate illegal gang activity anywhere in New Jersey, inside or outside of prison walls.

"I commend the fine work by Attorney General Milgram and Corrections Commissioner Hayman in addressing this public safety concern. These gang members and career criminals, through the use of cell phones, continue to demonstrate a disregard for our laws by attempting to direct criminal activities from behind bars. If that is their intent, it is only appropriate that they remain incarcerated for as long as possible.

"The Attorney General's Office and Department of Corrections have demonstrated tremendous ingenuity and resourcefulness by targeting jailed gang members and their command structure, and cutting off their line of communications to criminals on the outside. With the DOC becoming one of the first corrections departments in the nation to use dogs to detect cell phones, scanner chairs to search inmates returning from work details, and anti-smuggling measures targeting civilian visitors, hundreds of these illegal communications devices have been confiscated in one year, alone."

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