A humorous story posted in the Tampa Bay Times website about a jail visitor. This man was visiting his incarcerated wife over video when he decided the video visitation should be a XXX one. The man, 46, was arrested for exposing his sexual organs, a misdemeanor. This carefree husband was booked into Pinellas county jail…the same place where this exposure took place.
While this story is humorous, it brings up a broader point. What rights do visitors have in jail? That depends on if the visitor is a loved one or if he/she is the accused’s criminal defense lawyer. As a Pinellas criminal defense attorney, we are able to speak with our incarcerated clients face-to-face. Because of the attorney-client privilege, the meetings we have with clients or prospective clients can NOT be revealed, taped or recorded to ANYONE without the client’s permission. This means when we are visiting a client who is locked up, we have special areas where there is no sound or video recordings and the guards can not listen in to our conversation. This protects both the client and the legal process.
Lastly, this article is another reminder of what else NOT to do if one is incarcerated. While exposing your sexual organs is never a good idea when in jail, one must be careful to not expose any information on their case to cellmates. The jail can be a lonely place and it is common to reach out to other people locked up with you. However, if one starts giving information about their charges, these same “friends” may quickly flip on you. These “informants” may testify against you in your criminal case, hoping that their testimony may convince the state to depart from their guideline sentence. The thinking is, if an informant helps the state put away a criminal on a big crime (such as murder or a sexual assault), then the state may agree to reduce the informant’s sentence.
With that in mind, a friendly reminder that if one is ever so unfortunate as to be a “guest” in the local county jail, keep your pants up and your mouth shut!
The Clearwater, Florida based Blake & Dorsten, P.A., located at 4707 140th ave N, Suite 104, Clearwater, 33762, is ready to assist you in all of your criminal defense and personal injury law needs. We are located across from the Pinellas county criminal courthouse, minutes from Tampa Bay and St. Petersburg. We handle all criminal and personal injury cases throughout Tampa Bay, St. Petersburg, Clearwater, Treasure Island, Indian Rocks beach, Tarpon Springs, and Bradenton.