Some cushion them in bubble wrap and launch them over prison walls using potato guns. Others pay crooked officers to smuggle them inside.

No matter the method, prisons across the United States have been plagued by inmates sneaking cell phones behind bars -- and now Utah's Corrections chief is among those asking Congress to scramble the signal.

"A cell phone in the hands of an inmate has life-threatening implications both for staff within the perimeter and in our communities," Corrections Director Tom Patterson wrote in a letter asking delegates to back a bill that would let prisons install devices to block wireless signals.

Utah has dealt with only one cell-phone smuggling issue this year: officers found a wireless phone in a minimum security Draper prison cell.

That's far better than states such as South Carolina, California and Texas, where hundreds of prisoners reportedly have hidden phones and some have used them to intimidate witnesses, jurors or politicians.

Patterson credits a few local advantages for the state's avoidance of the problem: a smaller prison population, vigilant staffers and the fact that Utah often lags behind trends. He sees cell phones as a security threat.

"While we see very minimal cell phone abuse, we anticipate it's going to move this way. ...Contact to the outside really jeopardizes everyone on the inside," he said.

Hence the rare political urging. The letter marks the second time in Patterson's two-year tenure that he has asked Congress to support a cause. He also asked Congress to stamp out a bill aimed at quashing a phone surcharge levied against prisoners and their families. That fee funds much of the state prison's postsecondary education system.

Patterson said he reserves communication with Congress for the more serious issues. Rep. Rob Bishop, R-Utah, is a cosponsor of HR560, but the four other delegates have not yet taken a stand. And there's no sign of quick action -- both a House and Senate version of the bill are sitting in committees.

Bishop said prisons need tools to combat the cell phone abuse "without unintentionally impacting areas around a prison."

"I think this legislation has some good precautions to ensure that is the case," Bishop said.

Bill sponsor Rep. Kevin Brady, R-Texas, cited a 2008 case in which death row prisoners were caught threatening families of victims, prosecutors and elected officials via illegally obtained phones. In a news release, Brady said he wants signal scrambling devices to "fight criminal enterprises behind bars."

Welling said cell phone sales in prison would rake in more cash than drugs because they can be used several times and passed along to other prisoners. But inmates have not managed to sneak chargers inside, so the phones are only valuable as long as the battery has life, she said.

Inmates found with contraband can lose a parole date or other privileges as part of their punishment -- for example, they might not be able to leave the prison for work or interact with their families during visiting hours.

"[Cell phone smuggling] is something we would take very seriously," Welling said. "It would be at the more severe end [of punishment]."