Prisoner gets 37 years of solitary confinement for posting on Facebook

TYHEEMS

In South Carolina, prisoners who post on Facebook can receive more time in solitary confinement than prisoners who murder, rape, riot, fight, or smuggle contraband into the prison.

According to Electronic Frontier Foundation, the South Carolina Department of Corrections made it a level one offense for prisoners to access social media. As a result,  several prisoners have received ridiculous sentences in solitary confinement for posting on social media. This means the prisoners can’t have telephone privileges, visitation, or use of the canteen.


In October 2013, Tyheem Henry was given 37 1/2 years of solitary confinement for posting on Facebook 38 times; in June 2014, Walter Brown received 34 1/2 years of solitary confinement for posting on Facebook 35 times; and in May 2014, Jonathan McClain was sentenced to 24 years of solitary confinement for 25 Facebook posts.

Due to the strict policy, South Carolina taxpayers will have to pay close to $1 million to keep the prisoners who posted on Facebook behind bars.


Most prisoners use Facebook as a way to stay connected to family and friends while serving long sentences. However, they usually access Facebook through the use of a cellphone, which is considered contraband in prison.

Arizona and Florida have backtracked on laws that forbid prisoners from using social media.

Since the Electronic Frontier Foundation began its investigation, they have discovered 400 cases of prisoners who lost privileges for using Facebook.

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