Weeks before parole eligibility, Susan Smith disciplined behind bars

GREENWOOD, S.C. (Court TV) — Weeks before she becomes eligible for parole, convicted killer Susan Smith is facing disciplinary action for her behavior behind bars.

Susan Smith was convicted of murdering her two young sons, Michael and Alex. (South Carolina Department of Corrections)

Smith was convicted of an internal disciplinary charge of “communicating with a victim and/or witness” while at Leath Correctional Institution, according to the South Carolina Department of Corrections. Chrysti Shain, SCDC’s director of communications, told Court TV that on Aug. 26, Smith was charged with the violation after using the telephone to speak to a documentary filmmaker about her crimes. During the calls, Smith allegedly agreed to give the filmmaker contact information for friends and family, including her former husband.

According to Shain, inmates in custody “are not allowed to do interviews on the telephone or in person,” though they may write letters.

MORE | Exclusive: Susan Smith’s ex forgives but wants her to stay in prison

Smith killed her two young sons, Michael, 3, and Alexander, 14 months, in Oct. 1994. Though she initially claimed to have been carjacked, she was later convicted of the boys’ murders after admitting she strapped them into their car seats and allowed the vehicle to roll into a Union County lake. She was sentenced to life in prison.

The incident report, obtained by Court TV, says that some of Smith’s conversations with the filmmaker, whose name is redacted, centered on details of the murders themselves, including “what was in the trunk of the car when it went into the water and her plans to jump from a bridge while holding the boys but one woke up.”

During the conversations, Smith and the filmmaker talk about ways to get paid for a potential documentary. The incident report notes that the filmmaker deposited money into Smith’s account for “Calls and Canteen,” a violation of policy.

Smith was convicted of the disciplinary charge on Oct. 3 and, beginning on Oct. 4, lost her telephone, tablet and canteen privileges for 90 days. The officer’s recommendation in the report was that her phone privileges be permanently revoked.

On Nov. 4, Smith will become eligible for parole, but a parole board will determine whether she will be released. No hearing date has been scheduled, but Court TV will bring you the hearing when it happens. Smith’s ex-husband, David Smith, said in an exclusive interview with Court TV last month that he will fight for her to remain behind bars.