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Prisoners are allowed to use Facebook or Twitter or have a MySpace page? One South Carolina State legislator says absolutely not, and he is trying to make it punishable by law, if they are caught by using social media sites.
"This Bill would be the first Bill of such throughout the country would be a crime to any inmate in prison in order to enter the social media as a means of communication. If a person gets caught, would he or she has a lot of time to add to what they have been given. It also leads to a fine, "said State Rép Wendell Gilliard, a Democrat from Charleston, which proposes legislation.
Inmates have access to the most popular social sites by using smartphones smuggled inside the prison walls, which are already illegal in South Carolina. But prisoners not just user update their Facebook status or share interesting videos. Some victims and victims ' families have complained that inmates use popular social networking sites to persecute, harass and threaten them.
"STALKER, batterers, rockers live to intimidate, harass and terrorizing their victim, it is what they are doing," says Veronica Swain Kunz, CEO with South Carolina victim assistance network. "Someone on Facebook can reach out and send a message to all, that they will, and it could be a real thing for terrorizing them."
Bill to stop social networks for prisoners would add 30 days a prisoner sentence and require them to pay a $ 500 fine, if they are caught posting on social networking sites.
"It would send a message to our youth, crime does not pay," said Gilliard. "We must come back to reform people, we have not done. We have given them a clothes where they feel comfortable. "
And out of the reach of this proposed law would stop by prison walls. Family or friends of the prisoners could face mrsdemeanor fees if they are caught setting up social network pages or post messages for prisoners on the Internet. Rep. Gilliard hope just proposing the Bill sends a message throughout the country.
"It's just not that South Carolina and Northern California, other States have this problem also. Hopefully this will bring it in the front row, "he said.
But the proposed bill has already met resistance. ACLU calls it a violation of the first amendment right to free speech in the Constitution. Ashleigh Merchant, a criminal defense attorney in Atlanta, agree in saying that any steps to restrict freedom of expression in any form to anyone is wrong.
"Many times, it is a single outlet for an inmate. If a son or daughter is in prison, want their family must have an outlet, the kind of family members keep up to date on what is happening with the pasted life-there is still a member of this family, "she said.
Merchant agrees, inmates do not use mobile phones in prison and says prison officials must use more energy to enforce inmate mobile phone bans and persecution laws that are already on the books. She says proposed social networks ban is superfluous and unnecessary.
"It is already illegal to have mobile phones in prison – so if they enforce the law and in fact they worked a little harder to keep cell phones out of prison, I think that would serve the same goal," merchant said. "There has been some talk about threats through social media and threats are already illegal, so they have an avenue to enforce. They need another law to enforce. "
Rep. Gilliard said the Republican leadership in the South Carolina State House supports his bill, and he hopes that it will come up for a vote as early as next week.
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