(NewsNation) — Cameras are not allowed inside the courtroom in the murder trial of Lori Vallow, and authorities have also gone to great lengths to shield her from public view when she is transported.
NewsNation examined how, and why, Vallow is taken from the jail to the courthouse undetected every day.
Sources both inside the jail and inside the courtroom said Vallow is considered a high-profile inmate, and for that reason, they have to be a bit secretive about how the process actually plays out. However, NewsNation has learned a few details to get an overall sense of how the transport works.
While most inmates are transferred in large buses, that’s not the case for Vallow. Instead, law enforcement uses nondescript vans with tinted windows and takes different routes each day.
As for her life inside the Ada County Jail, Vallow is segregated from the rest of the population. The jail is a pod and dorm style jail, meaning that at least dozens of inmates are all sharing the same pod, eating and sleeping together.
But Vallow has zero contact with any other inmates. The only people she is speaking to on a regular basis are the deputies who feed her and those who transport her between the jail and courthouse.
At the courthouse, Vallow enters not through the front door, but rather a side entrance marked as a restricted area solely for government and operational vehicles. The transport van enters an underground garage, and Vallow is then taken up to the courtroom.
The entire process takes about 10 to 15 minutes.
Watch the drive in the video player above.