There are TikTok videos from people who were in prison.
TikTok videos show people's courtroom reactions when they're sentenced to prison.
Right now, there are TikTok videos from people inside prisons.
Whether it's shining light on inhumane conditions or engaging the public with the realities of the criminal justice system, #PrisonTok can be a source for good. The Idaho Statesman newspaper published a story on Friday about a local prisoner who created a new TikTok account.
Miriah Vanlith went crazy on the platform when she appeared in a video asking for people to write to her.
Vanlith was found guilty of raping two teenage boys and distributing a controlled substance to a minor. She was out on bond for sexually abusing a 15-year-old boy and raping a 17-year-old boy, when she raped a 14-year-old boy. As part of a guilty plea deal, the charges relating to the 15-year-old were dropped. She won't be eligible for parole until she's 100.
Vanlith was able to send a video message to someone on the outside, who then posted the clips to a TikTok account on her behalf and in her name.
There was a video that got more than 3 million views. The account had more than 30,000 followers. A TikTok spokesman didn't reply to a question about whether the account had been removed or if the person behind it had taken it down.
People who were shocked that a prisoner could appear in a TikTok video or that a convicted sex offenders could go viral were the people who sewed Vanlith's videos.
Vanlith told the Idaho Statesman that the videos were an attempt to get new pen pals in order to pass the time behind bars, but she wouldn't say who helped her set up an account. Vanlith told the Statesman that he made mistakes in the past, but that doesn't mean he's a bad person. The last five years have taught me a lot. I am responsible for what I've done. I have started a new chapter in my life because the past doesn't define me.
It is not uncommon for videos to be shared to TikTok featuring people asking for pen pals while they are in prison. There are multiple accounts that are dedicated to sharing prisoners' JPay videos, which is essentially a version of websites that have been around for a long time. The page is dedicated to posts about men behind bars who need love.
According to its website, JPay has been around since 2001 and charges both people in prison and their loved ones in order to communicate. By using a prisoner's ID number, people can send money or email them, while inmates can use JPay kiosks inside the jail. JPay tablets that don't offer full internet access but can be used to pay for games or music can be purchased by prisoners.
It costs two stamps to send or receive a videogram like the one Vanlith sent, with five stamps for sale for $2. Even people who are behind bars are paid very little to work.
Jesse Crosson, who served 19 years for robbery and shooting two people and now answers questions about prison life on his TikTok account, has railed against JPay. Crosson said in the video that he and his family spent more than $20 a month on JPay email stamps, a huge fraction of the $54 a month he was making in his prison job. His middle class family was able to support him. Cronson said that someone is profiting off every phone call, every email, and every bar of soap, and that is affecting those who have the least.
The multi-billion dollar prison industrial complex in this country is just a small piece of it, according to Crosson.
JPay couldn't give a full statement before publication. "We acknowledge the criticism we receive, but please also look at the positive pieces about our tablet program," Jade Trombetta wrote in a brief email.
Jeff Ray, a spokesman for the Idaho Department of Correction, told the Statesman that people should not become pen pals with inmates.
Ray said that people who engage in pen-Pal-type relationships should be cautious.
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