Prison lockdown initiates change

AUSTIN (KXAN) -  

According to Texas lawmakers, there will be some big changes coming to Texas prisons. Governor Perry has instituted the largest prison lockdown the state has seen in 10 years. All of this is in response to threatening phone calls a State Senator received from death row inmate Richard Tabler. Investigators are looking into allegations that the metal detectors and X-ray units do not work at Tabler's prison. 
Tabler's mother Lorraine Tabler was arrested at Austin Bergstrom International Airport Monday for bringing her son the phone. Tuesday afternoon, the Senate Committee on Criminal Justice held an emergency meeting to deal with the security breach. Twenty-one cell phones have been found on Texas death row in 2008 alone. Governor Perry said the lockdown will continue across the state as long as needed, adding any prison employees involved will be prosecuted to the fullest extent.  
John Whitmire, the Senator of the Criminal Justice Committee, said he was in shock when he got the phone call from inmate Richard Tabler last Tuesday. What is worse for Whitmire was that Tabler knew personal information about the senator's daughters. None of the 158,000 inmates throughout the state is allowed Internet or cell phone access. Yet, on the single blackberry Tabler had, 2,800 calls were made by nine death row inmates.
During the emergency meeting Tuesday, Senator Whitmire said with currently 700 cell phone contraband cases open, the prison board and prison officials have known about this issue for a while. He also claims they should have jammed those cell phone frequencies in the buildings a long time ago. Yet, prison officials argued they do not have the funding or resources needed to keep contraband out of the inmates hands. Guards can make $500 a week bringing in cigarettes to inmates. Some of the suggestions were paying officers better, having out side law enforcement agencies in, bringing in more surveillance cameras and drug dogs. Yet, there was no discussion of how to pay for these additions. During Tuesday afternoon's emergency meeting, prison officials have said they anticipate more arrests in this case.