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HOUSTON (AP) – Texas prison officials are cracking down on social media accounts managed for inmates by friends or relatives while the prisoners themselves have no Internet access because they’re locked up.
Texas Department of Criminal Justice spokesman Jason Clark said Thursday the agency has established a formal rule prohibiting inmates from possessing such accounts because many social media companies specifically bar people from operating an account in someone else’s name.
Many of the companies also require corrections agencies to have a specific rule in place that bars offenders from maintaining active social media accounts, Clark said. That rule is now part of the 134-page orientation handbook delivered to each Texas inmate.
“Offenders have used social media accounts to sell items over the Internet based on the notoriety of their crime, harass victims or victims’ families, and continue their criminal activity,” Clark said. “The agency will take all of the necessary steps to prevent that from happening.”
He could not estimate how many of the state’s 147,000 inmates at 109 prisons have social media accounts.
“When it’s determined there is an active social media account in an offender’s name, TDCJ will reach out to the company and request that account be taken down,” Clark said.
The new policy “strengthens the agency’s ability to request that an offender’s social media account be deactivated,” he said.
One inmate who had a Facebook account in his name deactivated is Elmer Wayne Henley, who is serving six life sentences related to at least 28 killings in the Houston area in the early 1970s. The account was taken down earlier this year after jewelry and art items produced by Henley were posted for sale on the site.
Clark said the new policy wasn’t in response solely to Henley.
“It really was that social media companies request specific policy that says offenders can’t have active social media,” he said.
Facebook spokesman Matt Steinfeld said Thursday in an email the company had no comment on the Texas prison policy. He did not address questions on how many states have asked the company to block inmate access.
Facebook suspends accounts that violate its community standards guidelines, including accounts administered by third parties, and shuts down accounts in prisoners’ names if the company is provided with a valid legal authority that shows inmates are prohibited from accessing Facebook.
The American Civil Liberties Union of Texas was critical of the prohibition saying the vast majority of prisoners return to their communities, where they rely on friends and family for support.
“This rule clearly fails to acknowledge the critical role of social networks in helping individuals overcome the challenges they face when re-entering our communities, such as finding steady and stable employment,” Texas ACLU senior policy strategist Matt Simpson said.
“We already know the existence of such networks reduce the likelihood of recidivism, so it would be wise to use every tool in our toolbox to encourage successful re-entry and not create even more barriers.”
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