The Use of Drones by Gangs to Smuggle Contraband into Correctional Institutions is a report by George Knox, Ph.D. and D. Lee Gilbertson, Ph.D.
The utilization of unmanned aircraft, commonly known as drones, for smuggling contraband into correctional facilities is, to some extent, foreseeable. The emergence of new, accessible technology like drones naturally invites exploitation for nefarious purposes. Considering the historical evidence of gangs and security threat groups (STGs) dominating underground economies within prisons, it was anticipated that these entities would leverage drones for their illicit activities. In contemporary prison environments globally, gangs and STGs hold significant sway over status and power dynamics, making their involvement in such criminal enterprises unsurprising to entities like the National Gang Crime Research Center (NGCRC).
The approach adopted for this study involved thoroughly examining existing literature on gangs, drones, and correctional facilities. Traditional public information sources for criminal justice research, such as the National Criminal Justice Reference Service (NCJRS), did not yield substantial insights into drone-related content. However, alternative sources like news media and court records proved valuable resources, offering useful contributions to the study.
Publication Date– December 2020
The Use of Drones by Gangs to Smuggle Contraband into Prisons contains the following major sections:
- Introduction
- Methodology
- What Kind of Rackets Do Gangs/STGs Run Behind Bars?
- October 2015: FAA Requires Hobbyists to Register Their Drones
- New Problem of Gangs/STGs Using Drones is on the Rise
- Chronology of Prison Drone Smuggling Events
- Jail Survey Shows Low Level of Arrests for Use of Drones and Remote Control Vehicles in Crime
- Prison Survey Shows Over a Third of State Prisons Now Report Drone Smuggling Contraband Incidents
- Financial and Economic Factors
- Drone Reportings in the Federal Bureau of Prisons
- Drone Crime Investigation and Prosecution Achievements: The “Operation Cellmate” Case
- Drone Crime Investigation Achievements: The Muzzicato Case
- Drone Investigation Achievements: The Kinser Case
- Drone Investigation and Prosecution Achievements: The Fort Dix Case
- A Less Successful Drone Investigation: The Oklahoma State Penitentiary Case
- Covert Indicators of Possible Drone Smuggling Involvement
- Most Common Types of Contraband Smuggled into Prisons and Jails by Drone
- Drone Countermeasures
- Assistance to Correctional Agencies to Combat Drones
- Conclusion and Prediction
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Post Image- Aerial View of a prison- Generated with AI (Image Credit: Adobe Stock by A Denny Syahputra)
