COLUMBIA, S.C. (AP) — After spending years fighting to keep drones from flying over prisons, South Carolina corrections officials unveiled plans on Thursday to use the small unmanned aircraft to keep a remote eye on inmates, an effort they said is the first of its kind in the country.

Corrections Director Bryan Stirling showed reporters new drones that can be used to monitor a prison and the area outside, where contraband such as cellphones and drugs can be launched over walls. The agency has hired two pilots, both military veterans, who will travel among the state's 21 prisons and monitor the...