Well, here's our answer! The difference between St John's and Putnam county jail's release of inmate phone calls and visits. This article has been significantly snipped by me, but it's very interesting if you have the time to read it all.
http://staugustine.com/news/local-news/2010-05-09/jailhouse-visit-increasingly-used-court-cases
Had it not been for HaLeigh's disappearance, "few people had interest in another drug-trafficking case in rural Florida," he said.
"There are some real dangers of injustice if we do not get a handle on this," he said.
Some, including St. Johns County Sheriff David Shoar, argue that phone calls and visits between inmates and family members are private even though inmates know their calls are recorded.
He noted that many people held in county jails have been accused of a crime but not been found guilty.
"It's kind of a fine line between privacy and the public's right to know," he said.
Corrections officers should sift calls for evidence or to prevent crimes, but Shoar said public access to those calls steps over the line.
He said it is not an all-or-none question.
"Right now there is probably not a solution," he said.
Hank Croslin Sr., father of Misty and Tommy, said people frequently recognize him and his wife on the street. Both are shown in jail visitation recordings talking with their children.
"I don't see how they can get a fair trial here," he said. "If they had a jury trial, I know she wouldn't get a fair trial."
Judgment call
Under Florida public records law, information gathered by police is broadly available if the agency or prosecutors do not believe it is pertinent to an investigation, which is redacted by the agency.
Bookhammer, the public defender, said inmates do not have an expectation of privacy in phone calls and visits.
Croslin Sr. said his son will no longer discuss his case in calls home and his daughter also says less.
Maj. Gary Bowling of the Putnam County Sheriff's Office, which is investigating the HaLeigh case and also made the trafficking arrests, said the agency is releasing information only under public information requests.
He said the impact on the public is not something that is considered and "I think it's difficult to quantify."
Former Florida Bar president Hank Coxe of Jacksonville said he sees the higher interest in cases but that does not change the broader picture.
Judges still have the ability to protect information, he said.
Prosecutors are still not permitted to release information that would be prejudicial in a case, he said, adding that even non-pertinent information will find an audience