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Houston & Texas News

June 20, 2008, 10:09PM

Web site offers future inmates a look at Harris lockup

Ex-prisoners give tips on life inside county jail
By BILL MURPHY
Copyright 2008 Houston Chronicle

"Keep your mouth shut." "Save money for a good lawyer because the court-appointed ones don't try
their best." That's just some of the candid advice available on a new Web site focusing on the
experiences of inmates at the Harris County Jail.

HarrisCoJail.com relies on former male and female inmates' knowledge to describe what it will be like to serve time in the county lock-up.

They pan the food (one writes that the grub is "sub-par mostly, not fit for human consumption") and advise on underwear (go for the boxer
shorts, one female inmate writes, because "they were much more comfortable than the commissary underwear").

The site is one of 37 owned and operated by Jail Media. Each tries to prepare future inmates and their relatives for what will be encountered
in a specific county jail in the U.S.

"Future inmates can learn the ropes before they go to jail," said Tom McConnon, a designer of the Web site owned by Jail Media, based in
Orem, Utah. "Going to jail has to be scary for anyone. The more you know going in, the more confident you'll be."

The Harris County Jail Web site provides information about the jail's recreational facilities, policy on dispensing medications, telephone use
and other matters. Those with questions can post them on a comment board, and former inmates and their relatives try to provide answers.

An inmate named Claire wrote about avoiding fights: "The only fight that I can recall was when one of the inmates was about to cook some
Ramen noodles when she got called down for a visit. She had one of the other ladies put them on for her, and I guess she wasn't paying
attention because one of the other inmates got hold of them and ate them. So when that particular inmate returned from her visit, she was
like, 'Where is my soup?' "

Katie Nielsen, Jail Media's 24-year-old founder and president, said she came up with the idea for the company after analyzing subjects that
had inadequate links when people searched on search engines.

"We were trying to come up with an underserved market," she said.

Those who comprise the market don't have cash to blow, but some have a need for specific services.

Seeking more visitors

Launched in March 2007, Jail Media has yet to turn a profit but is trying to increase the number of hits on its sites and get more lawyers and
bondsmen to advertise, Nielsen said.

The Harris County site, she said, is one of its most popular, receiving 5,100 hits in May, up from 3,900 in April.

She didn't start the company because she or relatives have had brushes with the law and couldn't find information on the Web about county
jails. She is way too squeaky-clean for that, she said.

Nielsen grew up outside New York City in a well-to-do area of Connecticut. Her father worked as a financial analyst at IBM. A Mormon, she
graduated from Brigham Young University, majoring in English. And she is an expectant mom whose husband works for a software company.

"He finds it humorous that I've started this company," Nielsen said. "He knows the demographics I'm dealing with are not where I come
from."

Chief Deputy Mike Smith, who oversees the jail, said the jail issues a handbook that lays out the rules and procedures for new inmates. But
he doesn't have a problem with HarrisCo Jail.com providing similar information.

"All we want is people to behave themselves while they're here, and if this site helps, that's fine," Smith said.

bill.murphy@chron.com

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