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KDOC warns cell phones and synthetic drugs are driving prison violence; seeks scanners, intelligence tools and FCC relief
Summary
KDOC officials told lawmakers that tiny smuggled cell phones and 'postage‑stamp' parcels soaked with synthetic cannabinoids have created a highly profitable illicit market inside prisons and are linked to rising violence and overdoses.
Kansas corrections officials told the Joint Committee on Corrections and Juvenile Justice that illicit cell phones and small‑dose synthetic drugs have become major drivers of facility violence and staff trauma and that new tools and partnerships will be needed to blunt the market.
“The drugs and unauthorized cell phones in our facilities ... are impacting correctional agencies really like nothing else. It's far worse than it's ever been,” Secretary Jeff Zmuda said, summarizing KDOC’s findings about the scale and sophistication of contraband introductions.
How the market works: Zmuda described rapid evolution of smuggling methods — deliveries with contraband hidden in legitimate cargo; fence‑throws over walls; drone drops; and persons on the public…
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