Georgia’s $50 Million Cell Phone Crackdown: More Technology, More Death, Zero Transparency

Why This Research Matters for Advocacy

Georgia has spent approximately $50 million of taxpayer money deploying Managed Access Systems (MAS) across 27 prison facilities to block contraband cell phones. The state claims this technology makes prisons safer. The evidence says the opposite.

During the MAS rollout period (2022–2025), homicides inside Georgia prisons more than doubled — from 31 in 2022 to 66 in 2024. Total deaths reached a record 333 in 2024. Phone confiscation incidents actually increased to a record 11,880 in 2024, and an estimated 20,000+ contraband phones remain in circulation at any given time. Every confirmed MAS activation was followed by significant violence within 2–7 weeks.

This research is a powerful tool for advocates because it exposes three critical failures simultaneously:

1. A public safety failure. The state’s flagship anti-contraband strategy correlates with dramatically worse outcomes for people in prison. Five people died at Washington State Prison within days of a statewide communication blackout triggered by MAS enforcement.

2. A fiscal accountability failure. Approximately $50 million in contracts were awarded to three vendors — including a 2-person company with no physical office and no FCC certification — with zero procurement records on Georgia’s official registries. No RFP. No sole-source justification. No contract award documentation.

3. A constitutional failure. MAS deployment disrupts medical equipment including heart monitors, raising Eighth Amendment concerns. One vendor’s technology claims to permanently destroy phones without a warrant, raising Fourth Amendment concerns. And the state’s communication blackouts have demonstrably preceded deadly violence.

This research arrives at a critical moment. The Georgia Senate Study Committee issued recommendations in 2024. Commissioner Carr is leading a 23-state coalition to legalize signal jamming at the federal level. The GDC posted a new solicitation for comprehensive offender communications services in December 2025. Advocates have multiple pressure points — legislative, regulatory, procurement, and legal — to demand accountability and change.

Key Takeaway: Georgia spent ~$50 million on phone-blocking technology that correlates with doubled homicides, record deaths, and increased phone activity — all while bypassing standard procurement transparency.

Talking Points

1. Georgia spent approximately $50 million on phone-blocking technology, and homicides more than doubled during the rollout. Homicides rose from 31 in 2022 to 66 in 2024 — a 113% increase — while total deaths hit a record 333 in 2024. The technology has made prisons more dangerous, not safer.

2. Every confirmed MAS activation was followed by significant violence within 2–7 weeks. At Washington State Prison, five people died within 3–5 days of a statewide communication blackout. At Dooly State Prison, a riot erupted 47 days after MAS activation. Communication cutoffs are triggering deadly crises.

3. The phone problem is getting worse, not better. Despite $50 million in technology spending and 37,000+ phones confiscated since 2022, phone-related incidents hit a record 11,880 in 2024 — up from 8,966 in 2019. An estimated 20,000+ contraband phones remain in circulation at any given time.

4. There are zero procurement records for tens of millions in vendor contracts. No RFP, no sole-source justification, and no contract award documentation appears on Georgia’s official procurement registries for 35 facility contracts. Taxpayers cannot verify how $50 million was spent.

5. One vendor is a 2-person company with no physical office and no FCC certification. Hawks Ear Communications operated at three Georgia prisons for years without required FCC certification. Its Fort Lauderdale address is an entertainment lawyer’s office. Its Atlanta address is a virtual office.

6. MAS technology disrupts medical equipment, putting lives at risk. Heart monitors and wireless medical devices cease functioning during deployment — a potential Eighth Amendment violation under Estelle v. Gamble (1976). The state is prioritizing phone blocking over people’s right to medical care.

7. Georgia’s approach costs 90 times more than South Carolina’s — with worse results. South Carolina spends $550,000 per year on MAS and saw a 68% increase in legitimate calls. Georgia spends approximately $50 million and saw a 113% increase in homicides.

8. The staffing crisis is the real problem, and technology cannot fix it. GDC has 2,600 vacant security positions out of 7,587 — a 34% vacancy rate. 82.7% of correctional officers leave within their first year. South Carolina’s own experience confirmed that guard vacancies, not phones, were the primary driver of violence.

Key Takeaway: Eight data-backed talking points demonstrate that Georgia’s MAS deployment has failed on safety, fiscal, and constitutional grounds.

Important Quotes

The following quotes are drawn directly from GPS’s research analysis. Use them in testimony, communications, and media with appropriate attribution.

“During MAS rollout (2022-2025), homicides skyrocketed from 31 (2022) to 38 (2023) to 66 (2024). Total deaths hit record 333 in 2024.”
— Executive Summary

“Every confirmed MAS activation followed by significant violence within 2-7 weeks.”
— Correlation Evidence section

“Dooly SP MAS ~July 26 → riot Sept 11 (47 days). Washington SP MAS late Dec → WiFi cutoff Jan 6 → 5 dead Jan 9-11 (3-5 days).”
— Confirmed MAS Activation Dates and Correlation Evidence sections

“No RFP, sole-source justification, or contract award on Georgia DOAS registry or Team Georgia Marketplace. 35 facility contracts worth tens of millions with zero procurement transparency.”
— No Procurement Records Found section

“Phase 2 Medical Equipment: heart monitors and wireless devices stop functioning (Eighth Amendment issue — Estelle v. Gamble 1976).”
— How MAS Deployment Affects Inmates section

“C-DOS (Cellular Denial of Service) by ShawnTech/Trace-Tek permanently disables devices, claims to bypass warrant process, 4,000+ devices disabled.”
— How MAS Works section

“[Hawks Ear:] 2-person operation, no physical office. Fort Lauderdale address is lawyer’s office (Concept Law Group, entertainment/IP lawyer). Atlanta address is Regus virtual office. No website, no track record.”
— Vendor 3 — Hawks Ear Communications section

“Macon SP is deadliest facility (9+ homicides 2024). Smith SP warden arrested for smuggling ring. Telfair SP warden stabbed March 2024.”
— Vendor 2 — CellBlox/Securus/Aventiv section

“Staffing: 2,600 vacancies from 7,587 security positions. 82.7% of officers leave within first year.”
— Budget section

“Most violent: Smith SP 17, Macon SP 17, Telfair SP 8, Hancock SP 8, Phillips SP 7, Valdosta SP 7, Ware SP 7. Every most-violent facility has a CIS vendor.”
— Homicides by Year section

Key Takeaway: These direct quotes from GPS research provide advocates with citeable, powerful evidence for testimony and written communications.

How to Use This in Your Advocacy

Legislative Testimony

This research is directly relevant to any committee hearing on corrections budgets, prison safety, or technology procurement. Frame your testimony around the core contradiction: Georgia spent $50 million on technology that made prisons more dangerous.

• Lead with the human cost: 333 people died in Georgia prisons in 2024, a record. Homicides more than doubled during the MAS rollout. Five people died at Washington State Prison within days of a communication blackout.
• Present the fiscal argument: Georgia spends approximately 90 times more than South Carolina on similar technology — with dramatically worse results. South Carolina spends $550,000 per year; Georgia has spent approximately $50 million.
• Demand procurement answers: Challenge legislators to explain why no RFP, sole-source justification, or contract award documentation exists for 35 facility contracts. Ask who approved a contract with Hawks Ear Communications, a 2-person company with no office, no website, and no FCC certification.
• Connect to staffing: The GDC has a 34% security vacancy rate (2,600 out of 7,587 positions). 82.7% of officers leave within their first year. Technology cannot substitute for human staffing.
• Cite the constitutional risks: Medical equipment disruption during MAS deployment raises Eighth Amendment liability for the state under Estelle v. Gamble (1976).

Public Comment

The GDC posted Solicitation 46700-GDC0001179 on December 6, 2025, for new comprehensive offender communications services. This is an active procurement opportunity where public input matters.

Key points for public comment:
– Demand full procurement transparency for all MAS contracts, including retroactive disclosure of existing vendor agreements.
– Require independent safety impact assessments before any new communication technology deployment.
– Mandate medical device interference testing and mitigation before MAS activation at any facility.
– Require that the new contract include measurable safety outcomes — not just phone confiscation numbers.
– Insist on communication alternatives (expanded tablet access, phone time, video visitation) to offset the demonstrated violence risk of communication blackouts.

Media Pitches

This research supports multiple strong investigative angles:

• “The $50 Million Question”: Georgia spent approximately $50 million on prison phone-blocking technology with zero public procurement records. Where did the money go? Who approved the contracts? Why was a 2-person company with no office awarded contracts at three state prisons?
• “More Technology, More Death”: The counterintuitive story that Georgia’s biggest anti-contraband investment coincides with record violence. Homicides doubled. Deaths hit 333. Five people died days after a communication blackout.
• “The Shell Company”: Hawks Ear Communications — a Fort Lauderdale entertainment lawyer’s address, a Vancouver technical contact, a Regus virtual office in Atlanta — operated at three state prisons for three years without required FCC certification.
• “The 911 Shutdown”: How contraband phones at Macon State Prison exploited MAS technology to overwhelm 911 services for 13 Georgia counties with 204 fraudulent emergency calls.
• “The Staffing Crisis Behind the Technology”: 82.7% of Georgia correctional officers quit within their first year. The state’s response: spend $50 million on technology instead of addressing the root cause.

Coalition Building

This research creates bridges to multiple advocacy communities:

• Criminal justice reform organizations: The violence data and constitutional concerns are directly relevant to prison conditions campaigns.
• Government accountability groups: The procurement transparency gaps are a fiscal accountability scandal regardless of one’s position on prison policy.
• Families of incarcerated people: Communication blackouts sever family connections and demonstrably precede violence. Family advocacy groups have a direct stake.
• Rural communities: The 911 vulnerability at Macon SP affected 13 Georgia counties. Rural residents have a safety interest in proper MAS oversight.
• Medical and disability rights organizations: Medical device interference raises health and disability rights concerns that extend beyond the prison reform community.
• Civil liberties organizations: Warrantless destruction of property (C-DOS), surveillance infrastructure, and Fourth Amendment concerns align with digital rights and civil liberties advocacy.
• Taxpayer advocacy groups: $50 million in unaccountable spending with measurably worse outcomes is a fiscal responsibility issue.

Written Communications

When writing letters to officials, op-eds, or organizational communications, structure your argument in three tiers:

Tier 1 — The Human Cost: 333 people died in Georgia prisons in 2024. Homicides rose from 31 in 2022 to 66 in 2024. Five people died at Washington State Prison within days of a communication blackout. These are not statistics — they are people the state failed to protect.

Tier 2 — The Fiscal Failure: Approximately $50 million spent with zero procurement transparency. South Carolina achieves better results at $550,000 per year. Phone confiscation incidents hit a record 11,880 in 2024 despite the technology. Drone smuggling increased 600%. The technology is not working.

Tier 3 — The Constitutional Risk: Medical equipment disruption violates the Eighth Amendment. Warrantless phone destruction raises Fourth Amendment concerns. Communication blackouts that trigger violence implicate the state’s duty of care. Georgia faces significant legal liability.

Key Takeaway: Advocates can deploy this research across legislative, media, coalition, and written advocacy contexts using the specific framing strategies outlined above.

Use Impact Justice AI

Need to turn this research into action fast? Impact Justice AI can help you generate:

• Letters to legislators demanding procurement transparency and independent safety audits of MAS technology
• Public comment submissions for GDC Solicitation 46700-GDC0001179 and future procurement opportunities
• Legislative testimony drafts tailored to specific committee hearings on corrections budgets, prison safety, or technology procurement
• Media pitches and press statements incorporating the key statistics and findings from this research
• Coalition outreach emails customized for different partner organizations (fiscal accountability groups, family advocacy, civil liberties, medical/disability rights)
• Op-eds and letters to the editor connecting this research to local and statewide advocacy campaigns

Impact Justice AI draws on GPS’s extensive research database, including this MAS analysis, homicide tracking data, and facility-level reports. Visit https://impactjustice.ai to get started.

Key Takeaway: Impact Justice AI at https://impactjustice.ai helps advocates quickly generate tailored letters, testimony, and communications using this research.

Key Statistics

Spending and Investment

• ~$50 million: Total Georgia spending on MAS deployment through FY2026 (Executive Summary)
• $35 million: MAS and drone detection budget for AFY2025 (Budget section)
• $13.4 million: Additional contraband technology funding for FY2026 (Budget section)
• $1.62 billion: GDC total FY2026 budget — a 44% increase from FY2022 (Budget section)
• $603 million: Governor’s total prison investment over 18 months (Budget section)
• $40+ million: CellBlox/Securus MAS investment (Vendor 2 section)

Violence During MAS Rollout

• 31 → 66: Homicides increased from 31 in 2022 to 66 in 2024 (113% increase) (Executive Summary)
• 333: Record total deaths in Georgia prisons in 2024 (Executive Summary)
• 51: Homicides in 2025 (Homicides by Year section)
• 23: Homicides in Q1 2026 alone (Homicides by Year section)
• 244: Total confirmed homicides in GPS database (Homicides by Year section)
• 5: People killed at Washington State Prison in 3 days (January 9–11, 2026), 3–5 days after statewide communication blackout (Confirmed MAS Activation Dates section)
• 47: Days between Dooly SP MAS activation and subsequent riot (Confirmed MAS Activation Dates section)

Technology Failure Metrics

• 11,880: Record phone-related incidents in 2024, up from 8,966 in 2019 (Phone Statistics section)
• 37,000+: Phones confiscated since 2022 (Executive Summary)
• 20,000+: Estimated contraband phones in Georgia prisons at any given time (Phone Statistics section)
• 1,300: Average monthly phone confiscations (Executive Summary)
• 600%: Increase in drone incidents from 43 in 2019 to 297 in 2023 (Drone Surge section)
• 1,000+: Drone incidents since 2022 (Drone Surge section)
• 204: Fraudulent 911 calls from Macon SP in 2024, exploiting MAS passthrough, none legitimate (911 Vulnerability section)
• 13: Georgia counties whose 911 center was overwhelmed and shut down by Macon SP calls (911 Vulnerability section)

Procurement and Vendor Concerns

• 35: Georgia facilities with FCC CIS licenses held by three vendors — zero procurement records on state registries (No Procurement Records Found section)
• 28: Facilities operated by Trace-Tek/ShawnTech (Executive Summary)
• 86%: ShawnTech’s claimed share of all national FCC CIS licenses (Vendor 1 section)
• 4,000+: Devices permanently disabled by ShawnTech’s C-DOS system, which claims to bypass warrant requirements (How MAS Works section)
• 2: People who operate Hawks Ear Communications, which holds contracts at 3 state prisons (Vendor 3 section)

Deadliest Facilities (All Have CIS Vendors)

• Smith SP: 17 homicides — warden arrested for smuggling ring (Homicides by Year; Vendor 2 sections)
• Macon SP: 17 homicides — deadliest facility, 9+ homicides in 2024 alone (Homicides by Year; Vendor 2 sections)
• Telfair SP: 8 homicides — warden stabbed March 2024 (Homicides by Year; Vendor 2 sections)
• Hancock SP: 8 homicides (Homicides by Year section)
• Phillips SP: 7 homicides (Homicides by Year section)
• Valdosta SP: 7 homicides (Homicides by Year section)

Staffing Crisis

• 2,600: Vacant security positions out of 7,587 total (34% vacancy rate) (Budget section)
• 82.7%: Correctional officers who leave within their first year (Budget section)

Comparison: South Carolina

• $550,000/year: South Carolina’s annual MAS cost vs. Georgia’s ~$50 million total (South Carolina Comparison section)
• 68%: Increase in legitimate calls in South Carolina after MAS deployment (South Carolina Comparison section)
• 25%: Guard vacancy rate identified as primary driver of violence in South Carolina (South Carolina Comparison section)

Additional Context

• 49,000: People in Georgia’s prison system (Senate Study Committee section)
• 31%: Percentage of Georgia’s prison population that is gang-validated (Senate Study Committee section)
• 7: Maximum-security prisons over 30 years old, exceeding 15–20 year design lifespan (Senate Study Committee section)
• 8: GDC staff arrested in Operation Skyhawk for participating in smuggling (Drone Surge section)
• 23: States in coalition led by Commissioner Carr advocating for federal jamming approval (FCC Regulatory Timeline section)

Key Takeaway: These ready-to-cite statistics cover spending, violence, technology failure, procurement gaps, vendor concerns, staffing, and state comparisons.

Read the Source Document

📄 Read the full GPS research document: Georgia Managed Access System (MAS) Deep Research — Cell Phone Crackdown in Georgia Prisons (April 3, 2026)

This analysis is based on GPS’s comprehensive investigation including FCC licensing records, GDC budget documents, GPS homicide database tracking, Atlanta Journal-Constitution reporting, Senate Study Committee findings, and anonymous GDC source reporting.

Other Versions

This explainer is written for reform advocates, grassroots organizers, legal aid organizations, and prisoner rights groups. Other versions of this analysis are available:

• 📋 Public Version — For general audiences, family members, and community stakeholders
• 🏛️ Legislator Version — For state legislators, committee staff, and policy advisors
• 📰 Media Version — For journalists, editors, and media organizations