« Local Pulitzer-winning playwright takes Yale post | Today | Martin Luther King Day: prayer, song and a history quiz »

January 21, 2008

ACLU commends Corrections on media policy revision

The Rhode Island affiliate of the American Civil Liberties Unions says "the public's right to know" scored a victory when the state Department of Corrections modified regulations that it had proposed concerning the news media's access to inmates for interviews.

The Department of Corrections proposed the changes last year, but it drew criticism from civil liberties activists, journalists and former inmates at a September hearing.

After the hearing, the DOC took another look the proposed changes.

Steven Brown, executive director of the Rhode Island ACLU, said the DOC responded to most of the major issues that were raised at the meeting.

For example, the DOC has revised a proposal that would have required the presence of a DOC public information officer at all interviews. The rule now allows the reporter to demand that the officer leave.

The DOC has also changed language that would have made reporter's notes, recordings and videotapes subject to review by the DOC.

"The revised regulations will better promote transparency in an agency where openness is particularly crucial. Ultimately, it is the public’s right to know that benefits from these changes,” Brown said.

The resulting revised media policy shows “the public hearing process works,” said Corrections Director A. T. Wall.

“We try hard to balance our need for proper security and the availability (of inmates) for the media.”

-- projo.com staff writer Brandie M. Jefferson, with reports from Journal staff writer Thomas Mooney.

Posted by Brandie Jefferson  at 3:10 PM | Permalink

Comments

Post a comment

Please be civil. Vicious comments, personal attacks and profanity won't be published. Name and email are required; email address will not publish.

Name:

Email Address:

URL:
Remember Me? YesNo

Comments: (you may use HTML tags for style)