Prison Security and Technology

Fox News reports that the Federal Bureau of Prisons logged 479 drone incidents at federal facilities in 2024, up from just 23 in 2018, as smugglers use increasingly powerful drones to drop contraband into prisons while state systems face federal limits on shooting down or jamming aircraft. South Carolina corrections director Joel Anderson says his state detected 262 drone incursions over its prisons in 2022, has built a statewide detection and response system, and is now seeing heavy‑lift drones hauling 25‑pound duffel bags at more than 75 mph, often flown by former inmates coordinating with prisoners via contraband cellphones.