California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation (CDCR)’s Katie James said that they were really excited as the social networking giant has planned to remove these profiles from Facebook. On the other hand, prisoners’ rights group said that the move was unfair as the inmates even would want to stay connected with their families and social media is the best option they could have to be connected with their family members. Critical Resistance’s Isaac Ontiveros said that prisoners with the help of social media can expose what is going on in the prisons and media would get the detailing. Victims’ rights groups however said that the prisoners would have the basic access to write letters and pay phones if they want to communicate with someone in the outside world and technology is not a necessity.
n California, large number of inmates were accessing Facebook via cellphones. Some of the harmless status updates read ‘Woke up freakin sore’, ‘Gettin ready 4 yard’ and ‘Listenin 2 sum music tryin 2 unwind’. The problematic ones were which needled the restriction. There are codes plotted on which have sinister activities coded. One of the worst cases was reported when a child molester crossed his limits as he contacted his victim who is currently seventeen. James had reported that the child molester was spying into the victim’s profile, photos and in a major way her life via Facebook.
Now corrective measures are being taken by Facebook which would disable the inmates’ Facebook accounts. Facebook called for closing down all such active inmates accounts even if the operation of these accounts were by the family members who are in the free world. Facebook help for curbing such actions would be important as the officials cannot get a grip on these prisoners and guards on a large scale. The officers have claimed to have confiscated 7000+ in the first half on the current year. In comparison, 2006 had saw 261 all over the year.
The way of getting these smartphones in the cell is mostly via the prison employees. The rate for these cells are usually 1000 USD for the prisoners. However such an act is a violation, but not a crime, which means that these employees can only be removed.
Crime Victims United’s Harriet Salarno said that it is quite an organised crime which allows the inmates to contact their gang members who can work according to the inmates and crime can flow via the prisons even.
An extraordinary case is of Justin Walker who can be tagged as a ‘famously infamous inmate’ because he has posted a few photos which show him smoking a bong, drinking bootlegged alcohol, partying and even one where he poses with large a bag of marijuana. Worst of the lost is where he licks a shank. On being noted, he has been placed in Administrative Segregation which is in the Oklahoma State Penitentiary.
The hassle created by these inmates are terrible and such acts would even make the not-so-terrorizing suffer. The decision from Facebook has been highly appreciative and with it, some criticism is bound to be there. The exact date has not been announced as of now for the shutting down of these accounts.