"It's appalling to think that he has been sent to jail merely for speaking to the media about his own court case," said Steven Brown of the ACLU's Rhode Island chapter.
Brown said the First Amendment guarantees Hatch's right to speak. Even if interviews can be restricted for safety reasons inside a prison's walls, that shouldn't be a concern once a person is living in a private home, Brown said.
All prisoners, including those on home confinement, must adhere to Bureau of Prisons policy on media interviews, said Traci Billingsley, a bureau spokeswoman. Those on home confinement who don't follow the rules can be put back in prison.
Hatch was still being held Thursday at Barnstable County Jail in Massachusetts, where he has been since Tuesday, Billingsley said.
Hatch was convicted in 2006 of failing to pay taxes on the $1 million he was awarded for winning the first season of the CBS reality show, and he was given extra prison time for lying on the stand. His term is scheduled to end Oct. 7.
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