Former University of Florida star and current accused murderer Aaron Hernandez is suddenly getting a lot of sympathy. First, Bristol County Sheriff Thomas Hodgson was quoted as saying the deposed Patriot was a "model inmate" who didn't show signs of nervousness. And now, the American Civil Liberties Union is using the tight end as a posterchild to protest the practice of solitary confinement.
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In a blog post published on the ACLU website, author Hilary Krase of the National Prison Project wrote that Hernandez's jail cell was smaller than a parking space. In Bristol, Connecticut, where Hernandez has been charged with the murder of Odin Lloyd, a parking space must be eight by 17 feet.
In Miami, planning standards dictate that a typical off-street parking space be eight-and-a-half feet by 18 feet. Not bad. Considering the average cost per square foot of owning a one-bedroom apartment in Miami is around $220, the star prisoner would be getting $33,660 worth of real estate for free if he was held here for the shooting of Alexander S. Bradley earlier last month.
The article, which was co-authored by communications strategist Sarah Solon, uses the high-profile case to bring attention to the nearly 80,000 people held in solitary confinement each year in the U.S.
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