Inmates punished for making rap video in prison
Seven South Carolina prison inmates are facing a combined total of nearly 20 years in solitary confinement — for a rap video they filmed last year in their cell.
The video had gone viral last year as it made its way to WorldStarHipHop.com, a website that dubs itself as "the HipHop CNN".
They were sentenced recently.
The nearly six-minute video had more than 500,000 view on the website and features the seven inmates humming, beatboxing and taking turns to rap.
One of the inmates can be seen standing near a door with his back to the camera, with the South Carolina Department of Corrections shirt on.
The video even raised discussions on the standard of security and how a mobile phone could end up in the inmates' hands in the first place.
The SCDC spokesman told BuzzFeed News the punishment did fit the crime, as the inmates were serving time for armed robbery, burglary and voluntary manslaughter at the time of the video.
South Carolina's Kershaw Correctional Institution officials punished the group heavily, giving a combined sentence of over 7,000 days — almost 20 years — in solitary confinement.
According to New York Daily News, five of the inmates received 180 days in “disciplinary detention,” while two others received punishments of 270 and 360 days, for “creating or assisting with a social media site”.
But additional punishments for “security threat group” (gang-related) materials, and possessing a contraband mobile phone added up to a combined 7,150 days, or 19.75 years, in solitary confinement for the inmates.
The inmates were also stripped of several privileges such as canteen use, phone, and visits.
Sources: New York Daily News, Buzzfeed, Mirror
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