For inmates, having a phone can add years in the cell

Michael Manor was serving 32 years in a Texas jail for auto theft when he managed to do something a jury thought even worse - sneak a cellphone into prison, reports The Dallas Morning News.

With a criminal record that included robbery and kidnapping, Manor got no sympathy from jurors. Last year, they slapped him with a 40-year sentence for possession of a cellphone after he dropped one from his prison bunk.

"We are trying to remove him from society. He doesn't deserve to have a cellphone," said Phil Hall, who prosecuted the case. "The jury really bought into the argument."

Although they did not allege that Manor, now 41, used the phone to plan crimes or an escape (he called his sister), jurors gave him the longest sentence anyone has received since lawmakers made possession of a cellphone in prison a third-degree felony .

... The punishment is harsher than any other handed down for the crime, but prosecutors said it shows how seriously the criminal justice system is taking a new type of contraband that can help inmates escape and allow offenders to conduct criminal business from a prison cell."

emily | 4:02 PM | Inmates and Cell Phones |
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