Susan Smith, a convicted killer mom serving a life sentence for murdering her two children in 1995, has been charged with a disciplinary violation after speaking with a documentary filmmaker shortly before her first parole hearing. The charge, which was related to communicating with a victim or witness of a crime, was issued on August 26 and she was convicted on October 3. Smith provided the filmmaker with contact information for friends, family, and victims, including her former husband, and received money from the filmmaker for calls and canteen. Inmates at the South Carolina Department of Corrections are not allowed to do interviews on the telephone or in person, but they can write letters.
Smith is set to become eligible for parole on November 4, 30 years after she confessed to drowning her two sons, aged 3 and 14 months, in a South Carolina lake. She and the filmmaker discussed conducting an interview and filming for a documentary, as well as details about her crime and the events surrounding it. As a result of her conversations with the filmmaker, Smith lost her telephone, tablet, and canteen privileges for 90 days starting on October 4. This was her first disciplinary action in nearly 10 years, and the charge was an internal disciplinary conviction, not a criminal one. The South Carolina Department of Corrections will decide if and when Smith will be allowed to have a tablet again.
Despite her efforts to communicate with the filmmaker and possibly pursue a documentary about her crime, Smith has faced scrutiny for her previous jailhouse interactions with suitors over monitored messages and telephone calls in the past three years. Criminal defense attorney Philip Holloway believes that her chances of being granted an early release are slim, given the horrific nature of her crime and the unlikelihood of her being released back into society. It remains to be seen if Smith’s recent disciplinary violation will have an impact on her upcoming parole hearing, as her eligibility date approaches.
The incident involving Smith and the filmmaker is not the first time she has attracted attention for her phone calls while in prison. The South Carolina Department of Corrections provides inmates with tablets for monitored calls and electronic messages, considered a privilege that can be earned or revoked. Smith’s actions with the filmmaker resulted in the loss of this privilege for a period of time. It is unclear what effects this disciplinary action will have on her parole prospects, as she prepares for her first hearing in November. Overall, Smith’s interactions with the filmmaker and potential documentary project raise questions about her suitability for early release and reentry into society.
