(NewsNation) — Prisoners in the United States may face penalties for using social media or having family run their accounts if a Federal Bureau of Prisons (BOP) proposal succeeds.
The BOP’s proposed change would classify detainees using social media or having families run their accounts as “high risk,” akin to those who are accused of violence, fighting, or damaging property, The Guardian reported.
It’s unclear why the agency wants to specifically crack down on detainees’ social media usage, Reuters reported.
Federal inmates are already barred from using cellphones. But social media and its massive global audience have become valuable tools for storytelling and advocacy behind bars, according to the National Criminal Justice Association. Online social platforms have also helped shed light on abuse and poor living conditions in some prisons.
“There is no articulated reason, explanation or justification to this,” Shanna Rifkin, deputy general counsel at Families Against Mandatory Minimums, told the Guardian. “It reads as an afterthought, but I can assure you that for incarcerated people and their loved ones, it is anything but. Social media is a tool of connection, and connection to family and friends is more important than ever when someone you love is incarcerated.”