# Recordings of "Jailhouse conversations" **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [December 26, 2008, 2:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recordings-of-jailhouse-conversations/478697 "2008-12-26T02:17:26Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 5\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![billfish678](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/7bcc69/32.png) [@billfish678](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/billfish678)\ **Post date:** [December 26, 2008, 2:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recordings-of-jailhouse-conversations/478697/1 "2008-12-26T02:17:26Z")
Hi all. You might very damn well be a redneck (or related to some) if on Christmas day you need legal information regarding Jail house conversations:( Short story is one relative is sueing another. Of course this could easily turn into a he said she said type of thing. One key piece of evidence could be follows: Relative A was told something by Relative B. At the time, A was visiting B who was in jail (prison?) at the time. Not really interested in what said thing might or might not prove. The questions are these: Are visitor/prisoner conversations even recorded? If so, can you get them for a civil suit to prove or disprove a point? If they are recorded, how long are they kept? This would be Florida if it makes any difference. Thanks in advance for any input! ---
**Author:** ![Jamicat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/c67d28/32.png) [@Jamicat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jamicat)\ **Post date:** [December 26, 2008, 3:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recordings-of-jailhouse-conversations/478697/2 "2008-12-26T03:04:27Z")
Jail?..House?..Confessions?..Hidden Camera?.. Hmmm…:dubious: Lemme call my people and they can call their people… THIS IS GONNA BE A HIT…LOOKOUT TAXI CAB…MUHAHAAAA!!! ---
**Author:** ![IAmNotSpartacus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/cc9497/32.png) [@IAmNotSpartacus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/IAmNotSpartacus)\ **Post date:** [December 26, 2008, 3:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recordings-of-jailhouse-conversations/478697/3 "2008-12-26T03:14:07Z")
I saw a story on Dateline last night about Caylee Anthony, who lives in Florida. Not only were the visits (not face to face, btw, but over the phone at the jail) between Casey and her parents recorded, they were made public. I suspect all prisoner interactions are recorded, save those which are privileged (lawyer, spouse, clergy etc). ---
**Author:** ![Gfactor](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/9de053/32.png) [@Gfactor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gfactor)\ **Post date:** [December 26, 2008, 3:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recordings-of-jailhouse-conversations/478697/4 "2008-12-26T03:14:31Z")
A gentle reminder: > [@](#): > > The purpose of General Questions is to get factual questions answered. In order to accomplish this we need the threads to stay on topic. We tolerate some joking, but that is generally acceptable only after the question has been answered. Please do not race to a thread to post that hilarious one-liner in response to the thread title, and don’t drive by just to drop in an anecdote that doesn’t answer the question. If you want to be funny while contributing to the thread, go for it. > **[Factual Questions Rules & FAQs](https://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=466202)** > > Please be aware of the general rules for the Straight Dope Message Boards, which applies to all forums: FAQ - Rules for Posting on the Straight Dope Message Boards includes how to report bad posts, copyright rules, forbidden topics, quoting other... **Gfactor** General Questions Moderator ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [December 26, 2008, 4:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recordings-of-jailhouse-conversations/478697/5 "2008-12-26T16:30:07Z")
> [@](#): > > Are visitor/prisoner conversations even recorded? Not routinely. But it is legally allowed unless it’s a privileged visit like a lawyer. > [@](#): > > If so, can you get them for a civil suit to prove or disprove a point? This one I don’t know. You might be able to file a FOIL request. > [@](#): > > If they are recorded, how long are they kept? Procedurely, we keep most records for at least five years. But realistically, it’s usually until we run out of storage room. Once we’ve put something in long-term storage, there’s not much incentive for us to dig it out just to dispose of it. I’ve seen fifty year old records still in storage. (That said, good luck on finding a specific record that old.)