Saturday, March 12, 2011

Prison Break, Words Escape

The men incarcerated in Portlaoise and Midlands prisons are among Ireland's most dangerous and violent criminals. Little wonder that security is so tight, to keep them in.

There's an interest by the State to keep their words within the walls of the prison as well, hence the ban on mobile phones. After all, part of the point of jailing gang leaders is to keep them from controlling their gang. Communication, or the lack thereof, becomes an important part of security.

Someone cut a hole in the perimeter fence at Portlaoise Prison, a fence that had been installed to keep the general public beyond throwing distance of the Midlands prison yard. Those someones used the breach to get close to the wall and toss mobile phones to exercising prisoners.

Breaking a man out of prison is next to impossible. Breaking his voice out is as easy as spiriting a small device into his hands.

A prison guard saw the mobiles flying through the air and took a shot at the delivery men. No fools them. They bolted through the fence hole and disappeared into the night.

It's said that only five devices successfully landed, and all five were immediately confiscated.

How do they know they got them all? Of course they can't be completely sure.

Mobiles have turned up in prisoner possession often enough for the various prisons to raid cells periodically. Notorious criminal John Gilligan, thought to be responsible for the death of Veronica Guerin, was recently found with a mobile in his cell. He wasn't using it to phone his ma, you can be sure of that.

This time, the gangbanger-in-chief failed to get his hands on a very important communication device. His underlings will keep on trying, however. Without the CEO of the enterprise, drug dealing and robbery are difficult to organize and an inefficient gang is one that loses money.

The gang-bangers will keep on trying to spring communication from the cold stone walls of the prison. The guards will keep trying to stay one step ahead.

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