Worried about inmates who use the site to organize crime and intimidate their victims, South Carolina is considering stiff penalties to discourage them from logging on behind bars.
Democrat Wendell Gilliard, the member of South Carolina’s House of Representatives who proposed the measure, says the smuggling of cell phones into prisons has become so common that inmates now regularly update their Facebook status. That leisurely activity, he says, can mask sinister behavior.
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“We now know that the criminals behind bars are using this as a method of intimidation. People’s lives are threatened. They’re sending out coded messages through social networking,” Gilliard said. “How can we as a society stand by and do nothing?”
So Gilliard wants to extend prison sentences by 30 days for any inmate caught using the social networking site by cell phone, and make it illegal for those on the outside to set up Facebook accounts for prisoners. If passed, the state would be the first to approve such legislation.
Rights groups say the proposed move would violate an inmate’s freedom of speech, even if cell phones are contraband. The families of victims aren’t impressed with that argument. Tarangie Tyler, whose husband was murdered after four men broke into her home two years ago, was horrified to learn one of those burglars was using the site.
“To hear that one of them has a Facebook, it’s scary,” Tyler told the AP. “I don’t think they should have Facebook, because of the crime that they did. … If they want to communicate, that’s what a pencil and paper are for.” (via Associated Press)
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