Imagine being trusted with a deadly firearm or given keys to the front door of a maximum-security prison, but denied the same smartphone that is carried by many of your supervisors. This is a daily reality for officers across the country in our jails and prisons; professionals deemed responsible enough to manage dangerous environments, yet somehow untrustworthy with a mobile device carried by billions of people outside the prison.
Cell phones connect, distract and entertain, but allowed inside a jail or prison, they can be more dangerous than a homemade shank. These hand-sized smartphones have brought our secure workplaces to a new crossroads. A crossroads where institutional security meets technological inevitability.
Cell phones in the workplace
In a workplace study by Samsung, they found more than 90% of the workers surveyed use a smartphone for work every day. In fact, workers spend 33% of their day using their cellphones at work. Another survey from MobilIron found that at least 60% of workers aged 18-34 said that if their boss prevented them from using a mobile device to take care of personal tasks, they would quit. In another survey from Zippia, they found 84% of companies have a BYOD (bring your own device) policy allowing or even expecting their employees to use their own cell phones for work.
However, in our secure facilities there are valid, significant concerns about the risks associated with the presence of cell phones:
- Cell phones pose many risks for increased contraband introduction.
- Cell phones and mobile “hot spots” have the potential for unauthorized network access from inmates (hot spot issues), and can also allow staff to bypass established network protocols.
- There is the potential for compromising institutional security through unauthorized communications between inmates, or criminals outside the prison.
- A recent study showed that cellphone use at work can often cause distraction from assigned duties, but of more concern in our secure environments is the increased probability of making errors. One study showed a 28% increase in the probability of an employee making an error after getting a phone call and an increase of 23% after getting a text. Additional studies have found that simply hearing or feeling an alert on a cell phone can cause the same rate of error.
Balancing risks with productivity in corrections
Productivity and distraction are the double-edged sword of cell phones inside correctional facilities. Despite the risks, staff cellphone use can increase productivity and may be a factor in the current issue of recruitment and retention. It may be time to re-think the ban on employee cellphones in our institutions and embrace the positive aspects of smartphone access. Many companies have already made the step to a workplace devoid of the “desktop” computer, replacing then with a hand-held smartphone device that can dock with monitors, keyboards, or printers. The productivity these smartphones bring to work is growing every day, and companies are scrambling to capture this increase in production:
- Smartphones can replace and enhance digital ID capabilities.
- Improved access to regular communication with co-workers, family, and friends has been shown to strengthen bonds and improve employee wellness.
- Improved time management capabilities and faster communication.
- Enhanced scheduling flexibility through apps that allow employees to view available shifts, trade shifts with other employees, and directly schedule time-off, increasing employee wellness and family connections.
- Increased potential for mobile job productivity, allowing employees to no longer be tied to an office or desk.
Many agencies allow managers or administrative staff to carry cellphones inside, but not the line staff. When managers seem “above the law,” and are seen using their smartphone to talk to friends or family, or worse killing time by scrolling social media, a culture of mistrust will form. This disparity, especially when justified as a security concern, can be seen by staff as an attack on their personal ethics or character.
The trust gap: Why line staff are restricted while managers are not
So why are so many administrators unable to trust their staff with cellphones, when those same staff have the keys to the front door of the jail or prison? Distrust of employees can stem from a variety of reasons including past negative experiences, a lack of transparency in communication, poor performance management practices, insecurity on the manager’s part, or simply a culture that encourages distrust. In the end, this distrust will lead to micromanaging, low morale among employees, reduced productivity and a high turnover rate.
So, the question becomes, can staff be trusted with mobile devices inside our prisons and jails? The answer is yes and no. Like anything else, we have the challenge of integrating technology within institutional security standards in a manner that serves public safety while allowing progress. Agencies that want more control over technology, but desire to take advantage of the productivity technology offers may even consider issuing approved smartphone devices to staff and treat them as tools to be managed, not threats to be eliminated.
Twenty years ago, the thought of an inmate having an iPad or tablet in their cell was science fiction. Today, more than a million tablets are used by inmates throughout the United States. Technology is here to stay and the future of its implementation into our prisons is inevitable. Whether we are talking about smartphones or the growth of artificial intelligence (AI), we must approach the future with nuanced, informed, and adaptive workplace policies.
