20 State Prison Employees Accused of Smuggling Cell Phones - Central Coast News KION/KCBA

One year ago the Center For Investigative Action took a look inside one prison to show you just how easy it was for inmates to get cell phones and harass victims behind bars. Now we are taking another look at a new crackdown at the California Department of Corrections where 20 state prison employees including guards are accused of smuggling cell phones for money, close to $1,000 per phone. 

In once case a female guard was caught sending nude photos to an inmate who she had given a phone to. Another guard is accused of smuggling a cell phone to an inmate who she believed was the father of her child. In May 2011 The Center for Investigative Action told viewers about one former Salinas Valley State Correction Officer who made big news when he was sentenced for life for hiring a hit man to kill an ex-girlfriend and smuggling drugs and cell phones to inmates.  

Now, the Department of Corrections is cracking down after a new law in July made smuggling a cell phone a misdemeanor with up to 6 months in jail and a $5,000 dollar fine. Corrections officers say the number of phones found has been dropping over the last few months. Just last year there was about 15,000 phones found and confiscated. So far this year there's only been about 9,000.

On the Central Coast alone in 2010, the prison confiscated nearly 600 phones, that's about 50 phones per month. Thousands of the cell phones are found by using K-9 dogs to track them down. "Our second dog trained at finding cell phones has had a record year and he finds cell phones ten feet above his head," said Corrections Spokeswoman Dana Simas. Now, a new technology to block all unauthorized call and texts from cell phones will be put into all state prisons, the installation will start in the first prison next month. 

Of the 20 employees investigated for smuggling, all have either been fired or reassigned.

The Department of Corrections is still looking into other cases.