The bill to block cell phone signals in Costa Rican prisons was presented more than one year ago to the Legislative Assembly, today it received the approval in first debate and therefore could soon become a reality.

The bill which is promoted by the Executive Branch, received the support of the 50 deputies present in congress at the moment of the voting. It has the goal of reducing the number of frauds, threats and extortions that are carried out by inmates in the different Costa Rican prisons.

Telecommunication companies and providers of these services will need to take actions to ensure that the jailed population can access their mobile networks but without affecting the communities and users in the nearby areas.

Even though there are rules and measures in place, inmates find the way of gaining access to mobile devices. According to the Ministry of Justice, just last year they seized 3,159 cell phones in the different jails across the country, and in the period between 2012 – 2017 this number represents over 15 thousand mobile phones. Officials have even caught two trained cats smuggling cell phones into prison.

In order for the bill to become a law it needs to be approved in second debate, the voting of this law is scheduled for next week.