They finally banned violent video games in prisons

Q

Quigly

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Registered Senior Member
Yeah, so why the heck do they have video games anyway? Do they have there own PC with internet connection in each cell also. What a load of crap that prisons are. I think there was a movie about how this guy had such a crappy life and decided to commit a crime to upgrade his life. Pretty twisted, but this is what we have today. People get a better life in prison than they do on the street. Should I even comment about how Martha Stewart was offered a chance to pick which prison she would stay at. What!! is it a freakin Inn or Motel that you get to choose which one is better? Oh this one has video games and the internet... This one has a home designing class that I can teach... Loads of Bull....

I guess prisons just realized that it wouldn't be a good idea to let murders play games where you go around and Murder... Personally, I think prisoners shouldn't be aloud to do anything but eat crappy food, drink crappy water, excercise, read books, and a couple other minor things. Why would we give them the luxury of PS2 and Xbox? Prisoners gave up there rights to freedom when they decided to do something ignorant or stupid. Grrrrrrr. More of my good tax money to help make the criminals more comfortable.

And the prisons comment "We have the activities for them to keep their minds off of planning out how to escape." Jack Ass
 
It is pretty amazing to me that prisoners get to play video games. Its like instead of losing their freedom, they just lose their responsibility to go to work!

Of course it would still suck in prison...but what message does this send to a 18 year old on the streets?

If they must have video games, they should only have old text based infocom games. That would be funny as you have to be literate to play.
 
hey, I like the text adventure games! :D

I know that before one law in Norway or Sweden a lot of russians did what was called prison tourism. They went to that country, commited a crime and enjoyed themselvees in prison conditions they never met in their homecountry life. And they worked in prison and got money for it, had a tv, shower as much as they want, read books and had access to sports equipment and could also go to special learning courses. There were several documentary series about that shown in Latvia.
They talked of it as paradise and it is paradise compared to their daily lives in Russia and I would think that also Latvia.
 
fadingCaptain said:
Its like instead of losing their freedom, they just lose their responsibility to go to work!
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talking about brainwashing: the responsibility of going to work.

That doesn´t exist in my opinion. It is a moral that is being taught to you. It is a very abstract notion of responisbility though, because it is not essential to survival. Just to fit in the consumer society
 
Prisons have always banned violent video games because they make the inmates become more violent (surprise, surprise). The story I read said that some violent video games got through the screening process by mistake.

People are sent to prison as punishment, not for punishment. Loss of freedom to leave the prison is their only punishment. They should have reasonable recreations, and this also works the best for society. It keeps prison costs down (less trouble from inmates) and helps rehabilitation.
 
monkey,
I should have said the 'burden' of going to work. I don't think its a responsibility but an unfortunate necessity in today's world. Some people find ways out of it, but most cannot. Sometimes people look for a way out and end up in jail, thus fulfilling their intended goal in a roundabout way.

zanket,
"People are sent to prison as punishment, not for punishment. "

What do you mean by this? If you are in prison, you are being punished. There are certain liberties given up. Why should video games not be one?
 
fadingCaptain said:
What do you mean by this? If you are in prison, you are being punished. There are certain liberties given up. Why should video games not be one?
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It means just what I said: Loss of freedom to leave the prison is their only punishment. It does not punish them to omit certain recreations, like hot tubs. It does punish them to have no recreation. Video games are a low-cost recreation.
 
Hot tubs are low cost. One can entertain many. Why not have a pool and water slides?

Sorry for the sarcasm, but I draw the line at a different point than you. Video games cost money and prisoners do not deserve the right to play them. Hell, many young poor kids would love to have them. We can give em to them instead.

Prisoners already have low cost recreation anyway....a basketball goal and weights. Do we really want our prisoners getting out of shape? (sorry sarcasm again)
 
Would the denial of certain recreational activities be considered <i>cruel and unusual punishment?</i>
 
If you want a tough prison system you should come to Arizona. Don't screw up here or Sheriff Joe will put you in his tent city, a bunch of army surplus tents way out in the desert where you'll eat nothing but green bologna sandwiches three times a day and be left to your own devices to deal with the elements. Yeah, that's right 120 degree summers with no air-conditioning, but hey at least it's a dry heat, right? In addition you'll be dressed in Pink underwear and if you want a change of scenery there's a chain gang available for you no matter whether or not you're a woman or a juvenile convict. Oh, which reminds me, our state's definition of a Juvenile is a bit different than most. If you’re 15 years or older and are accused of a violent crime you will be charged as an adult. You can find out a little bit more about him here, I'm sure, if anyone has a burning interest to take a closer look at the other end of the spectrum.

Not all prison systems are country clubs. "cruel and unusual" is sort of a subjective idea, isn't it?
 
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spuriousmonkey said:
talking about brainwashing: the responsibility of going to work.
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You start out owing money, before you're born. It's original sin.
 
fadingCaptain said:
Hot tubs are low cost. One can entertain many. Why not have a pool and water slides?
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If video games are out then fiction books should be out too. And TV.

They should have exercise equipment. They deserve multiple forms of low-cost recreation. When you say they do not deserve the right to have this then you are suggesting punishing them beyond their loss of freedom.
 
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But in our effort to maintain civility and social order, we subject our prisoners to deprivation, often creating an environment that is degrading. There is a contradiction when society imposes as punishment the same lack of moral responsibility in which it purportedly protects.
 
" When you say they do not deserve the right to have this then you are suggesting punishing them beyond their loss of freedom"

Surely you see that there is a subjective line drawn somewhere. Of course they should be punished beyond the loss of freedom. Do you think they should have heated pools, plasma screen tvs, and tilt-a-whirl?

I simply think denying them video games is perfectly reasonable. Apparently, you think if they can't play video games they are being unduly punished.

Books are in, scheduled tv/movie times in. Video games out.
 
<i>"If you want a tough prison system you should come to Arizona. Don't screw up here or Sheriff Joe will put you in his tent city, a bunch of army surplus tents way out in the desert where you'll eat nothing but green bologna sandwiches three times a day and be left to your own devices to deal with the elements. Yeah, that's right 120 degree summers with no air-conditioning, but hey at least it's a dry heat, right? In addition you'll be dressed in Pink underwear and if you want a change of scenery there's a chain gang available for you no matter whether or not you're a woman or a juvenile convict. Oh, which reminds me, our state's definition of a Juvenile is a bit different than most. If you’re 15 years or older and are accused of a violent crime you will be charged as an adult."</i>

We are looking at extremes here?
 
Bowser said:
But in our effort to maintain civility and social order, we subject our prisoners to deprivation, often creating an environment that is degrading.
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Oh yes, and lord forbid we should deprive some of our citizens of anything, or degrade their self esteem! What an awful thing to do to criminals! Funny, but from your statements in another thread I was lead to believe that you were for such actions against people who hadn't even committed a crime.
 
I am simply exploring our reaction and it's true nature.

<i>"...from your statements in another thread I was lead to believe that you were for such actions against people who hadn't even committed a crime."</i>

Really. What statement was that?
 
There was a prison where every inmate was in solitary confinement for the duration. Talk about keeping costs down. Problem was the prisoners came out insane, which cost society a lot to deal with.
 
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