Tweeting Prisoners In Puerto Rico Encourages Others To Walk The Good Path

Have you ever wondered what it feels to be in prison? Or, if convicts knew what life will be like in prison, given the power to turn back time, will they still commit their crimes? Maybe not. The Puerto Rico Department of Corrections is using these questions to encourage people, especially the youth, to walk the good path. Last year, more than 1,000 homicides were reported in the unincorporated U.S. territory. In a move to reduce crimes, the executive department is launching a pilot program called “Siguenos para que no nos sigas,” or “Follow Me So You Don’t Follow Me.”

Using Twitter as the primary conduit for the program, inmates use the microblogging service to talk about their life and experience in prison. So far, three inmates, chosen for their good conduct, have been recruited to tweet at least three times in a day, to describe the realities of life in prison. The tweeting prisoners are currently confined in a jail located at the southern Puerto Rico town of Guayama.

Using the Twitter handle @followtunfollow, the account has gained more than 10,000 followers as of this writing. Jesús González Cruz, the Secretary of the Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation, makes it clear by saying, “This is not a reality show that enhances the life of crime, but the harsh reality of making a wrong decision.”

Image Courtesy of ABC News

Gene Ryan Briones
Categories: Web
Tags: Twitter