To illustrate the disconnect many long-term prisoners feel with the modern, web-connected world, a reporter with Buzzfeed FWD spoke to several prisoners serving long sentences who have never used the internet to describe what they think it’s like. The responses are striking.
With few exceptions, it’s illegal to go online the if you’re imprisoned in the U.S., so unless you have a phone that’s been smuggled in, you’ve probably never used the internet if you’ve been in since before its use became widespread. Because of this, some prisoners may find it even more difficult to re assimilate to life on the outside than they might otherwise.
“I’ve never seen the internet in person,” said Tommy Winfrey, 35. “I was locked up in 1997. CDs were a big deal. I knew the internet was called the information super highway for a reason, but I had no idea how connected society really is through the internet.”
“The technical aspects of it make me go hmmmm????” said Chrisfino Kenyatta Leal, 44, who has been imprisoned since 1994. “I realize everything is getting faster and moving toward mobile so I often wonder about who’s doing all this stuff and where is it all taking place?”
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