Signal blocker in Ibague Prison
On October 1, 2021, General Mariano Botero Coy, director of Inpec (National Penitentiary and Drug Rehabilitation Agency), admitted at the signing ceremony of the "Convention against Crime" that there was a serious problem of cell phone signal jammer failure in the Picarena Prison in Ibague City, Colombia. This failure allowed prisoners in the prison to use illegal mobile phones to carry out criminal activities, including directing external attacks and intimidation.
Escalation of criminal activities caused by the failure of mobile phone blockers
General Botero Coy revealed that two prisoners in the prison, "Tommy Masacre" and "Borré", used mobile phones to intimidate and attack instructions, targeting drivers and businessmen in the city of Barranquilla and its metropolitan area. They kept in touch with the outside world and implemented their criminal plans through mobile phone signals that were not effectively blocked. Although the problem was discovered and diversion measures were taken, the incident exposed the structural failure of the prison signal blocker system.
Future prison improvements
To address this problem, Colombia plans to implement new prison signal blocker technology strategies from February 2022. These measures are intended to ensure that prisoners can no longer conduct illegal activities through mobile phones and will strengthen prison supervision procedures. In addition, human rights support groups composed of prisoners will be established in prisons to better manage and reduce criminal behavior.
Policy and legal response
Attorney General Wilson Ruíz emphasized the importance of policy during the meeting, pointing out that the country's criminal recidivism rate is over 20%. He said that with these new measures, the government hopes to better control illegal activities in prisons and ensure that criminals do not continue to commit crimes while serving their sentences. The meeting also included interventions in four national detention centers, including La Modelo Prison in Barranquilla, La Picaleña Prison in Ibague, Girardot Prison in Bogotá, and La Picota Prison.
La Modelo Prison in Barranquilla
La Picaleña Prison in Ibague
Girardot Prison in Bogotá
La Picota Prison
Although the Colombian government plans to implement new signal blocking and supervision strategies, the signal blocking problem in Ibagué Prison has exposed serious loopholes in the prison system, forcing the government to take emergency measures to restore order.