The House of Representatives passed the amended Prisons Law, strengthening the legal framework for addressing the possession and trafficking of mobile phones and other prohibited items both inside and outside prisons.
Specifically, the Prisons (Amendment) Law of 2026 modifies the principal Prisons Law, criminalising the possession, use, import, and export of mobile phones, as well as prohibited items or substances to or from prisons, including attempts to commit these acts.
Under the new provisions, any person – whether a prisoner or not – who possesses, uses, imports, or exports a mobile phone or prohibited item to or from prisons, or attempts to do so, is subject to imprisonment of up to two years and/or a fine of up to €6,000.
Stricter penalties apply when such offences are committed by a member of the Prison Department staff. In these cases, the prescribed punishment is imprisonment of up to three years and/or a fine of up to €10,000.