comment: >
context: This article has a lot more detail on the story
  TL;DR - Jeff Ross visited the prison to do a roast special, did interviews with inmates (who signed releases) to get material, and then some of that footage was used by the court in this guy’s sentencing. He’s now appealing the sentence on the grounds that the inmates’ lawyers were not notified about potential use of the footage. >
  
  The jail had a 'no contact' order on file with the jail, while on remand (pre-trial detention), saying that under no circumstances was ANYONE to speak to him without his attorney's present.
  The jail ignored a lawful notice, and then the prosecution used footage out of context to incriminate him at trial. State argues 'yeah, there was a no contact order in place, but comedy central isn't a state actor, so they don't count'.
  It's the same thing that cops used to do, try and persuade 3rd parties to act like cops to get them evidence they couldn't otherwise get, like bribing bestbuy geeksquad people to [illegally] snoop through peoples hard drives and account infor to look for any evidence of potential crimes, which they 'report' having 'just come across it'. The geeks committed multiple crimes, and the evidence is fraudulently obtained, but courts let it in because 'they're not state actors', and mysteriously the prosecutors fail the do anything about the criminal acts.
  It's just any attempt to get around legal protections and throw legal rights out the window in the desire to 'get that conviction' (a bit like the story that came out today, of the cop who's spent almost 20 years marketing '911 call analysis', which almost no-one not a cop has heard of, and outside of his own little private study (that no-one has seen the data to) there have been 5 studies done all showing it's crap, but the cops and FBI are still putting it out there as good, and intimidating people with it.
  Seriously, you should read the expo on that. It's more 'bite mark' and 'stitch pattern' bullshit. >
  
  
  Hall's legal team is now arguing that footage from the special was later used to sentence their client to death.
  On October 10, 2011, Hall entered a Brazos County residence where he fatally stabbed and shot a 68-year-old male; he also stabbed the victim's 69-year-old wife, who survived the attack.
  
  Hm. I'm no lawyer, but I think probably the murder conviction was what was principally used to sentence him to death. >
  
  This is just the usual legal wrangling that drags out death penalty cases for a long length of time.
  I don't believe in the death penalty, but its use here is clearly not negated by showing a jury what a county jail looks like.  I'm kind of surprised the attorneys aren't embarrassed by pulling this chicanery, but then again, I'm not. >
  
  When you read the article, you learn it’s about what was heard on the video and the resulting arguments and not about what the inside of the jail looks like >
  
  ...come again? >
  
  I need to rest a bit. The spirit is willing, but the flesh is spongy and bruised. >
  
  r/unexpectedfuturama >
  
  Does anyone have a copy of the footage in question saved somewhere?