Eric Bard seeks internet access and visitation rights in court
Updated
Updated · WABI · Apr 30
Eric Bard seeks internet access and visitation rights in court
2 articles · Updated · WABI · Apr 30
In Augusta, Maine, Bard, 36, asked on Thursday to go online for schooling and to visit his 14-year-old cousin.
Representing himself, the former Sidney man faced state objections that his sentence bars contact with anyone under 18 and that past child pornography charges preclude internet access.
Bard is serving time for raping a four-year-old girl and recording the abuse on his cellphone. The judge said he would issue a decision within 30 days.
When rehabilitation clashes with public safety, how should a judge decide an inmate's future access to family?
Can Maine's prison reform goals survive the challenge posed by its most dangerous offenders seeking education?