# What the END CELLS in CELLS Act Does

This bill makes it a federal crime to sneak cell phones and other wireless devices into prisons, jails, and detention facilities, or to help inmates get them. Right now, states handle this mostly on their own, but this law creates a new federal offense with specific penalties that apply across the country. The bill targets three groups of people: anyone who gives a phone to an inmate (violating state or federal rules), anyone who deliberately smuggles devices into a detention facility, and inmates themselves who possess or try to obtain phones while locked up.

The penalties are serious. People convicted of willfully breaking this law face criminal fines up to $50,000 per violation. Additionally, the Federal Communications Commission can impose civil penalties (essentially fines) of up to $50,000 per violation or per day if the violation continues, with a maximum cap of $1,000,000 for any single incident. The law has a two-year window to pursue violations, meaning authorities have two years from when they discover a violation to take action. Notably, the law doesn't require the FCC to issue a citation before imposing these penalties, making enforcement faster and easier.

The bill recognizes that law enforcement sometimes needs phones in detention facilities for legitimate investigative purposes, so it includes an exception allowing authorized police and intelligence operations to continue. States also keep their own power to enforce their own laws on this issue. The law applies to all correctional, detention, and penal facilities in the United States and covers any wireless device that can send or receive radio communications, including the components that connect devices to networks.