Every day, hundreds of individuals are released from U.S. federal prisons and reenter a society that has undergone a massive technological transformation. From mobile banking and rideshare apps to online job searches and telehealth, daily life in 2025 is powered by digital literacy. Yet many of these returning citizens are emerging from decades-long incarcerations without even the most basic knowledge of how to navigate a smartphone, let alone a computer.

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Why Mobile Phone Possession Should Be Reclassified as a Moderate Severity Offense

The Federal Bureau of Prisons (BOP) currently categorizes inmate possession of mobile phones as a "Greatest Severity" offense under Incident Code 108, placing it alongside truly dangerous contraband like weapons and escape tools. This classification comes with severe penalties, including a 10-year mark on an inmate’s record, restrictions on rehabilitative programs, and potentially prolonged incarceration. However, as technology evolves and prison policies around the world adapt to new realities, it’s clear that the BOP’s rigid stance on mobile phones is outdated, counterproductive, and in urgent need of revision. Rather than treating phone possession as a major security breach, BOP should adopt a more nuanced approach, reclassifying it as a "Moderate Severity" offense—akin to circumvention of monitoring policies—so that penalties are proportionate to the actual risks involved.

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