Prison PhonesCalifornia is taking a new approach in an effort to disconnect the flow of cell phones into prison cells. The state plans to install nearly one thousand metal detectors, scanners and secret security cameras at its prisons to stop the flow of illegal cell phones. They say despite the current efforts thousands of phones are making it inside and are being used to coordinate hits or other acts of crime from behind bars. And it’s not just the low level offenders who are being found with phones. Charles Manson, a prisoner under the highest level of security has been found with a cell phone three times. Once in 2009, another time in 2011 and more recently just this past February. Prison officials say the new detection equipment will make it relatively impossible for prison visitors to smuggle anything inside, even if they’ve managed to stash it within a body cavity. They say this will also force families and inmates to use the prison phone system which allows them to monitor the information going in and out for criminal activity. Talk about a strict service provider.