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| Web site chat heaps scorn on prisons' staff, inmates |
| By Concord Monitor |
| Published: 12/06/2004 |
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Gossip and gripes are a given in any workplace, but at New Hampshire prisons, they have spawned a Web site that claims more than 500 users. On it, anyone can learn rumors about office romances, the whereabouts of some former inmates and which employees are accused of drinking the most and working the least. The site, which is about two years old, is run by past and present employees of the state Department of Corrections, not the administration. Prison spokesman Jeff Lyons said the department does not endorse the material but cannot prohibit even the most personal and potentially libelous details from being posted. Despite the often- crude commentary about individual employees, Lyons said no prison employee has complained to administration about being targeted on the site. One recent posting in particular has upset even some of the site's users: a list of the "Top 10 Inmate Snitches." As is custom on the site, the list's author is anonymous save for a fictitious screen name, "bright." Claire Ebel, executive director of the New Hampshire Civil Liberties Union and a self-described "hysteric" about the right to free speech, said she was troubled particularly by the snitches list. "It just seems to me that the First Amendment ends when revealing someone's name or status can cause that individual potential harm or even death," she said. "Bright" did not respond to an e-mail request for comment. The site, titled "NH Department Corrections Exposed" (with the "of" omitted), is hosted for a monthly fee by Arborwood.com, which has a Minnesota address. A call and e-mail to Arborwood was not returned. |
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