Charles Manson is calling

NPR:

The most notorious inmate caught with a cell phone is Charles Manson. He was caught with a flip phone back in March 2009, then again this past January with yet another cell.
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State Sen. Alex Padilla is making his third attempt to criminalize contraband cell phones. He wants smugglers to be fined $5,000 and inmates to get extra prison time. "Clearly the problem is growing," he says. "It's growing exponentially and bottom line is, every cell phone at the hands of a dangerous inmate is a crime waiting to happen."
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But Padilla faces an uphill battle getting any stiffer penalties, since the state's prisons are jammed and some lawmakers say California can't afford to lock up more people.

Economics suggests a solution: Soften penalties for infractions of other kinds. Then you can criminalize cell phones in the hands of inmates without locking up more people.