A group of prisoners in South Carolina are being punished for creating music. According to documents by the South Carolina Department of Corrections, six prisoners were sentenced to nearly 20 years for making a rap video in a jail cell.
The video was recorded at the Kershaw Correctional Institution in October 2014. The inmates make music by beating on the walls, beat boxing, and humming. Two of the inmates are the lead rappers and all six men yell the chorus, “I’m on fire, I’m on fire, I’m fire!” Overall, it’s a creative piece of music that shows how much talent is being wasted behind bars.
Recorded on a cellphone that was smuggled into the jail, the video was eventually uploaded to WorldStarHipHop and has received over one million views since being uploaded last year.
However, once the South Carolina Department of Corrections discovered the video, they laid down a hefty sentence for each inmate involved. They were punished for “creating or assisting with a social media site” and the video was viewed as a “security threat.” The inmates received sentences that combined to 20 years of solitary confinement. They also lost years of visitation privileges, canteen use, phone, and good time accrued.
Prisoners should be able to express themselves through the arts without fear of being reprimanded. But South Carolina has a history of being harsh on inmates for nonviolent offenses. In 2013, Tyheem Henry was sentenced to 37 years in disciplinary detention for posting on Facebook.
The unreasonable sentences should be investigated by the U.S. Justice Department as a violation of human rights. South Carolina officials are responding to small infractions with punishments that are nonsensical and abusive.
Watch the video on the next page.
