The state Correction Department is moving about 950 prisoners as North Carolina’s budget problems force it to close seven minimum-security prisons.

Columbia officials say prison inmates are flushing handmade weapons, underwear and various other debris down their toilets, causing a nearby sewer pump to break and costing taxpayers millions.

The South Carolina Department of Corrections on Friday used jamming technology to show that it could block cell phone signals inside prison buildings without affecting cell service outside.

The South Carolina Department of Corrections finds hundreds of cell phones inside its prisons, despite a ban on having them. It wants a change in federal law to allow it to block cell phone signals within prison walls.

The South Carolina Department of Corrections says it may have to close prisons and release inmates early if state lawmakers don’t provide more money.