PRISON WATCH : Banning Jail Talks

State prison officials, with understandable concern but a misplaced response, have imposed a temporary ban on face-to-face press interviews with inmates in California’s 31 state prisons.

The California Youth and Adult Correctional Agency, which imposed the ban two months ago, has experienced a large increase in requests for interviews with such infamous inmates as Charles Manson, Betty Broderick, Ellie Nesler, Kody Scott and others. Officials fear that such exposure may traumatize victims and further glamorize notorious criminals both to other inmates and to readers or viewers outside prison walls. Reporters can still write to specific prisoners or speak with them by phone. Under some circumstances they may also speak face to face--with inmates whom prison officials select.

But the temporary ban bars reporters from requesting an on-camera or face-to-face interview with a specific prisoner. The policy will hold until the State Office on Administrative Law holds hearings on the issue and recommends a permanent solution to Gov. Pete Wilson.

This ban is not just about restricting the free speech rights of prisoners. Prisoner rights are appropriately constrained in other ways.

But as a limitation on free speech by government, this ban is disturbing. The ban restricts not just prisoners’ rights. It constitutes an open door for other governmental agencies to impose additional limits on who speaks and under which circumstances he can speak. The temporary ban should not hold.