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TCF inmates seem to have internet access and Facebook accounts

A group photo of inmates — posted on Facebook
ausage@samoanews.com

Pago Pago, AMERICAN SAMOA — Several members of the community, including some victims, have raised deep concerns regarding the fact that some inmates at the Territorial Correctional Facility (TCF) are able to access social media sites such as Facebook.

While any and all electronic devices are not allowed inside the TCF, members of the community are outraged, wondering how certain inmates are able to have devices like phones and/ or laptops, which they use to take photos of themselves and each other inside their cells and then posting them on their Facebook pages.

Samoa News was able to track down some of the Facebook accounts and discovered that some of the inmates with active Facebook pages have posted photos from inside the TCF, as recent as this month.

Samoa News has also received photos of some inmates taken inside the TCF, photos that were forwarded from concerned locals, including some victims.

One of the victims in a recent rape case told Samoa News she was shocked to learn that she had a friend request on Facebook from an inmate when she checked her Facebook account last month.

According to the victim, in addition to the friend request from this inmate, she also received a massage on her Facebook messenger.

“This is not right for a victim who is dealing with the devastating nightmare when out of the blue, the perpetrator accidentally sends out a funny message on Facebook. The damage is done, no one can undo it. I can remain angry and hurt at the same time, this person is still trying to make his way through again,” the victim said.

"I’ve learned that some inmates have access to social media while being held in custody. This is very shocking and distressing for me as a victim. I don’t want to be someone who continues to alert our local authority about these issues. This is their responsibility, they were sworn to protect us and to make sure that no electronic devices are allowed in prison.”

Another concerned citizen has come forward with the claim that she is being stalked by a TCF inmate on her Facebook page.

According to her, she received a friend request on her Facebook account from an alleged inmate in late October of this year. She said she reviewed the Facebook page and came across pictures of several inmates. According to the woman, the photos were taken inside TCF. A few days later, she alleges the Facebook page changed names, but the photos remained the same. “Everything seemed to happen in late October, early November.”

A young mother who was a victim in a rape case when she was a minor a few years ago, came forward and spoke to Samoa News also about the problem she faced after police apprehended her perpetrator.

According to her, she is now living a happy life with her young family outside of American Samoa.

However,  she faced the same problem when the man who raped her was able to contact her on her cell phone while he was held in custody.

“I don’t know how that happened but it was kind of weird when this man who raped me was able to call my cell phone and tried to talk to me. I remembered I spoke to the police detective who handled my case at the time about this inmate who called me from inside TCF, and I don’t know whether something was done about it,” the young woman told Samoa News.

A former cop who worked for the Department of Public Safety (DPS) for over 30 years told Samoa News that the Police Commissioner and the Warden need to do something to stop this problem.

“Alleged news that some inmates have access to social media accounts using electronic devices while serving their sentences is growing. The Police Commissioner and his staff need to do something to stop this problem. Victims of every crime could be left feeling extremely unsafe knowing that the perpetrator may have access to personal information about them, being able to see photos of them, or they could potentially contact them or their family and friends,” said the former cop who wished not to be named.

“It’s a problem because someone is not doing his or her job. This is very simple: electronic devices are not allow inside TCF."

“What we’re seeing right now is that, there are a lot of problems at the TCF and the Juvenile Detention Center (JDC)… when a few bad police officers, who were sworn in to protect inmates and juveniles, take the law into their own hands, and allow these types of problems inside the jail.”

It was reported through the local media that a few months ago, police confiscated cell phones, drugs and drug paraphernalia during certain raids at the TCF; and last week, Samoa News received a report from a reliable source about an investigation being carried out regarding an issue involving an alleged drinking session between four inmates held in a holding cell behind the new DPS building in Fagatogo.

According to the source, the drinking session resulted in a fight between two of the inmates; and when police raided the holding cell, they discovered a cell phone belonging to one inmate, who had just transferred from the TCF to the Fagatogo holding cell for safety reasons.

Samoa News understands that police are still investigating the issue.