Phone lines are back in action at Banning's Larry D. Smith Correctional Facility following a power outage that had disrupted service. The Riverside County Sheriff's Department announced, in a news release published on its official website, that as of December 19th at 3:30 p.m., inmates were able to make and receive calls after the five-day blackout left them disconnected from the outside world.
The outage started on December 14th, throwing the correctional facility and the surrounding city of Banning into disarray. Despite the facility quickly returning to normal operations, phone services for inmates were much slower to follow suit. "We prioritize re-establishing communication channels for incarcerated individuals and their loved ones," said Correctional Lieutenant Erik Kendrick, according to a statement obtained by Hoodline.
Communication is critical for inmates, particularly for maintaining family ties and accessing their legal representatives. The extended lack of phone service raised concerns about the well-being and legal rights of those inside. Officials worked to resolve the issue as quickly as possible, understanding the critical nature of these connections.
While the cause of the power outage has not been disclosed by the department, they have assured the public that their team worked diligently to swiftly restore the phone service. "Our dedicated team is working closely with service providers to resolve the issue as swiftly as possible," Kendrick said in a statement. Families affected by the outage were left waiting anxiously for the restoration of communication with their imprisoned family members.
In the interim, those seeking further information regarding the situation were advised to contact the Media Information Bureau for updates.
