Attempt to enter a jail with camera?

[Dave Ridley]

While holding signs yesterday I had a conversation with another sign holder standing next to me.  He was an ex con holding a sign for a write-in candidate who he says wants to reform valley street jail.    there are apparently abuses over there.

That got me thinking...reforming the jail using government, would cost money.  But any one of us could reform a jail at no cost to taxpayers simply by spending time in there with a video camera. 

Of course, they'd probably arrest you for trying.  So maybe one type of civil disobedience would be to walk up to the entrance with a camera and just stand there until arrested or allowed in.  if they ignored you then you could just put on one of those "report jail abuses here" signs.

ideally this would be somethign to do after a jail is back in the news.   maybe one could contact them and let them know this may be what will happen if they get caught committing abuses again.

i guess this idea could apply to any area where cameras are restricted.

[Coconut]

i guess this idea could apply to any area where cameras are restricted.

On that topic, I just wanted to make sure you knew that Russell and I are both in court the same day, Sept 26, which was the possible camera disobedience in Keene.

[FTL_Ian]

Here's what happened to me when I entered the Manch jail with my video camera.

If you're in a rush, jump to 2:00 in.

[jzacker]

Valley street appears ot have a history of medical neglect.  did the ex con say what kind of abuse is going on there?  There's lots of kinds of abuses and the approach to take may differ depending on the abuse.

[Kat Kanning]

You can take cameras in..all the way in to see prisoners... at Cheshire Co. jail.

[bigmike]

Like the nice officer told Ian in the Lauren protest video, they're probably going to have some issues with video in a "secure area".

Maybe this is a fight worth fighting and getting arrested for to get inside there, maybe not. Getting the video to post would more than likely turn into a youtube video show like Cops or Lockup (?Whatever that new one is called)

I seem to remember the MPD station wasn't next door to the court building downtown, but close. Do they transport prisoners by van to the courthouse, or are arraignments done via close-circuit TV? Or do they have an underground tunnel that they walk prisoners to court in shackles?

My reason for asking is that the idea of "Report Prisoner Abuses Here" is excellent, if there was a convenient way to get that information from the prisoner. I can't see the nice officers or the people in the black robes allowing that conversation to happen in the courtroom, though.

If they are transported by vehicle, that vehicle (at least where I'm from) is a group of vans that leave the jail in the morning and afternoon to take prisoners to the courthouse. They probably drive away to transport prisoners from the same spot every day like clockwork. You could stand outside with "Report Abuses" signs that the prisoners could see and call AFTER court. You may get some stories about court abuses as well.

This could work well, but there are a few variables.

First, are prisoners only allowed to make collect calls? You get around that by having an answering machine greeting that just says "yes, yes, yes, yes" over and over so when the operator or machine asks "will you accept the charges", the prisoner can leave a message. Semi-expensive, yes. And there's a science to getting the yes at the right point if it's a human system, but it can happen.

Second, prisoners in transport have nothing to write with. The number on the sign to call had better be an easy number to remember. Think 1-800-I-SUE-BIG, without the 800. Maybe the area code and 4ABUSES? Would have to check availability.

Third, cost. Ever have a relative or friend in county lockup that can only call collect and then calls to chit-chat? Gotta love that first phone bill. If prisoners can use phone cards or don't have to make collect calls, the only expense would be a $6-7 monthly voice mail bill, which usually have flexibility when choosing the number you want.

If you were able to hear messages or receive calls, attorneys can visit prisoners and may be able to take video or audio recordings for a "deposition". That gives a much better "in" to the system, and the mainstream media LOVES video and audio over some random guy in jail trying to say his rights were violated, which could give the story a little more deserved attention.

[vsj2008]

Inmate Abuse, Torture & Civil Rights Violations concerning 1st, 8th and 14th Amendment Rights are being violated daily at the Hillsborough County Department of Corrections (HCDOC). Our Public Officials are well aware of this fact and choose to ignore complaints to what is happening on their watch. Civil suits are filed constantly and cost the tax payers of this county hundreds of thousands of dollars per year to defend and pay restitution to victims that win their suits. The right thing to do, and the legal thing to do would be to stop the abuse and violations of inmates constitutional rights; instead of allowing this criminal behavior to be funded with your tax dollars, as they have for over a decade. Whether you care about inmates' rights or not, if you live in Hillsborough County your tax dollars are being used needlessly to protect this behavior.

Isn't it TIME WE ASK THEM WHY this abuse is allowed to continue?

http://www.valleystreetjail.com/