Letting prisoners use cellphones makes sense – now more than ever Jarvis Jay Masters
about 5 years in The guardian
Personal phones are banned, even in a pandemic, but connection to families is good for prisoners and prisons
Not long before the Covid-19 outbreak was declared a worldwide pandemic, there was a shakedown here on death row at San Quentin state prison. It was a massive search and I wasn’t surprised to learn officials confiscated at least 60 cellphones. I know what it feels like to be caught with a contraband phone. It happened two years ago and as punishment, I was sent to the “Adjustment Center” – solitary confinement – for two months. I was sent to solitary for the crime of wanting connection.
With almost 40 years as a prisoner, I’m old enough to remember a time when a shakedown wouldn’t have resulted in the confiscation of 60 phones – it would have been 60 shanks and other deadly weapons. This demonstrates what most prisoners really want now: to communicate with their family and friends, those precious parts of our lives not caged up in here. This basic need is all the more pronounced in the shadow of the coronavirus. Continue reading...
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