Drug Networks In Georgia Prisons - Austin's Daily Commentary

Austin talks about drug networks in Georgia prisons and what should be done.

Transcription

Austin: The Atlanta Journal-Constitution has done a great job on a disturbing series of articles detailing how a number of drug gangs and other illegal organizations have been running huge drug networks out of the Georgia State prison system and the federal prison system in the state of Georgia.

Folks, this is absolutely ridiculous. Check the articles out again, the AJC.com has got most of the articles. Hopefully you subscribe to that. If not, I'll give you the Reader's Digest version.

They're using cell phones. They're using illegally smuggled in cell phones. A lot of times with the help of corrupt prison guards and officials.

Number one, we need to make it absolutely a draconian offense for a prison guard to assist inmates in illegal activity like that. I mean, it should have been done a long time ago, federal jail time for anyone that does that at any level. At any level. And also make sure that they understand that their lives eventually come essentially come to an end. I mean, just it's over with if they ever get caught doing such a thing, that's number one.

Number two, you've got to set up through the FCC the ability for prison officials to block cell phone activity through transmission blockers in every federal prison and matter of fact, in every major prison in this country, it can be done. The technology is there. It's not difficult to do it all. It's a little bit inconvenient for those of us who have cell phones in the immediate area, but it's not an unconquerable issue as far as that goes.

This should have been solved years ago. The technology is there. You just have to get the FCC to get out of the way. And it's really as simple as Congress just telling the FCC this will be a federal offense and you can't stop it. It can be done. It should have been done years and years and years ago. And it's time for, again, Congress and federal officials to get off their fannies and make this change.

Do it now, stop the debate, stop worrying about the inconvenience it's going to cause some people. It is far more dangerous and far more troublesome for these systems to stay in place as far as the transmission ability goes inside prison walls. Just get the technology in place and keep it there.

We've got to stop allowing these bad guys we've got locked up to live lives where they're in control of criminal activity on the outside of the jail walls. It's unbelievable that we haven't solved this problem yet. And that's the comment, I'm Austin Rhodes, AM 580/95.1 FM News Talk WGAC.