By: (AP) A bill that would make it easier for reporters to interview prison inmates was advanced by a Senate committee Tuesday after Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger vetoed a similar measure last year.
The bill by Senate Majority Leader Gloria Romero, D-Los Angeles, would override Department of Corrections' limits on news media interviews that have been in place since 1996.
The bill would permit interviews using television cameras and audio recording equipment and let inmates correspond confidentially with reporters unless it presented a security problem.
Gov. Pete Wilson's administration made it more difficult to interview inmates because of fear the attention would turn criminals into celebrities, a concern echoed by Schwarzenegger and his predecessor, Gov. Gray Davis.
But Romero and media organizations said reporters' access is needed now that the state's prison system is under criticism by national experts, a federal judge, and inmate advocates. They argue there was no serious harm done during the 20 years reporters had special access to inmates.
The California Newspaper Publishers Association and California Broadcasters Association support the measure, along with public defenders and the American Civil Liberties Union. It is opposed by Crime Victims United of California.
The measure cleared the Senate Public Safety Committee on a 4-1 vote.
An Assembly media access bill cleared the Assembly Public Safety Committee earlier this month.
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