The Blackangel Posted March 20, 2019 Share Posted March 20, 2019 Prisoners are a lot busier than most people think. Between their jobs, like working in the plate shop or the wood shop, time in the yard, chow, and the little bit of leisure time they get, their day is fairly full. The only time boredom gets nuts is when they're in their cell. They have to return to their cells several times daily for a count, but they're still pretty busy. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Heatman Posted March 21, 2019 Share Posted March 21, 2019 On 3/20/2019 at 1:14 PM, mont86 said: Maybe on a very limited basis... Their reward is being released.. I'm not a fan of our prison population. How would it managed to be played on a limited basis? Have you considered the volatile nature of some inmates who might take advantage of the exposure to create tension in prison? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
StaceyPowers Posted March 21, 2019 Share Posted March 21, 2019 21 hours ago, The Blackangel said: Prisoners are a lot busier than most people think. Between their jobs, like working in the plate shop or the wood shop, time in the yard, chow, and the little bit of leisure time they get, their day is fairly full. The only time boredom gets nuts is when they're in their cell. They have to return to their cells several times daily for a count, but they're still pretty busy. Busy doesn't necessarily equal not bored. Think about boring but busy classes in school ... Anyway, I used to live among a population of ex-cons in a trailer park. Boredom played a big role in the drama they'd stir up. Mind you, it might have been that particular population that behaved in that fashion, but it was easy to imagine how they had behaved in the cell block with even less to stimulate their brains. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Blackangel Posted March 21, 2019 Share Posted March 21, 2019 It gets boring and monotonous as hell inside. Enough to drive you damn near insane. But that doesn't mean you should have the luxuries of the outside. Books and TV's are fairly common, but you can go to the hole for even having a cassette tape or the wrong comb. And I can guarantee that a video game system would be contraband. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jayson Posted March 22, 2019 Share Posted March 22, 2019 (edited) On 3/20/2019 at 4:06 PM, StaceyPowers said: I believe depriving a person of their freedom is already a harsh punishment, and that the main purpose for doing so should be for the safety of others, not for punishment or justice. Ideally, I'd prefer a system geared toward rehabilitation. I see no reason not to give prisoners video games, especially if they behave. In all frankness, a lot of the crap that goes on in prisons probably could be reduced if prisoners were not so bored to begin with. Fighting off the boredom is the admin's advantage. As long as they can control it, they can control the prisoners. However, then again, they (the prisoners) can ease boredom by fighting or worse. Edited March 22, 2019 by Jayson Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
StaceyPowers Posted March 22, 2019 Share Posted March 22, 2019 8 hours ago, Jayson said: Fighting off the boredom is the admin's advantage. As long as they can control it, they can control the prisoners. However, then again, they (the prisoners) can ease boredom by fighting or worse. Exactly what I meant :) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LadyDay Posted March 23, 2019 Share Posted March 23, 2019 On 3/20/2019 at 9:06 PM, StaceyPowers said: I believe depriving a person of their freedom is already a harsh punishment, and that the main purpose for doing so should be for the safety of others, not for punishment or justice. Ideally, I'd prefer a system geared toward rehabilitation. I see no reason not to give prisoners video games, especially if they behave. In all frankness, a lot of the crap that goes on in prisons probably could be reduced if prisoners were not so bored to begin with. You keep reminding me of myself!!! I could have written exactly the same! One of my closests friends, who I talk to every day, is actually in prison, in the U.S., maximum security, so I actually know what it's like being in there. One thing I know for certain is that there's a very good reason America has the highest prison population (in percent of the total population) in the world! Sheer hard punishment doesn't work, it has the opposite effect! The harder you punish, the worse it gets. Breaking people, rather than rehabilitating and building them up, just creates more crime. It's a vicious circle! Taking the freedom away from criminals is punishment in itself, and it should be used as a tool for helping people get back on track with life, it shouldn't be used for turning them into even more hardened criminals! You would also lower the amount of trouble you have with gang activity in prison if you took that approach! In conclusion, of course prisoners should be allowed gaming. It would challenge their energy in a constructive way and lower the incredible boredom that leads to less constructive behavior. @StaceyPowers for President! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LadyDay Posted March 23, 2019 Share Posted March 23, 2019 On 3/19/2019 at 12:36 AM, Jayson said: For instance, would violent games increase violent behavior and/or be a mockery of the prison? Good question. Do you think violent games in general make people more violent than they already are to begin with? I don't think so, since it doesn't seem that gamers in general, like everybody here, are a more violent population than people who don't play video games. On 3/19/2019 at 5:52 PM, Jayson said: I think there should be REAL CHANGE before they are allowed video games. I mean, talking about people who have become Born Again Christians or something. OK, I would say the same for other perks (things allowed for good behavior). I really do not want to be disrespectful, but people who are born again Christians are no better than everybody else and it's silly that they already get preferred treatment in prisons. Also, it's easy to pretend to be Christian to get those perks. Sincerely, your friendly forum secular humanist, who is just as good and law abiding a person as your average born again Christian.(I used to be a born again Christian by the way. I didn't get any worse when I left religion behind) 🙂 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LadyDay Posted March 23, 2019 Share Posted March 23, 2019 Sorry to post three times in a row, I can't figure out how to edit a post. On 3/20/2019 at 11:35 PM, The Blackangel said: Prisoners are a lot busier than most people think. Between their jobs, like working in the plate shop or the wood shop, time in the yard, chow, and the little bit of leisure time they get, their day is fairly full. The only time boredom gets nuts is when they're in their cell. They have to return to their cells several times daily for a count, but they're still pretty busy. It depends a lot, both on the prison and the prisoner. Nowhere near all prisoners have jobs, there aren't enough to go around, and in maximum security prisons they have very little time outside the cell. They don't get to roam around. They do get to take classes if they want to, so they do have some occupied time. In the SHU (cruel and unusual punishment in my humble opinion) in the prison my friend is in they get ten minutes to shower three times per week and one hour of "yard time" in a cage three times per week. In the normal population they get a bit more, but still very little. In other words, they spend a lot of daytime in the cell. Alright, I'll stop posting now. Sorry for rambling on. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Martin Berisford Posted March 23, 2019 Share Posted March 23, 2019 Ah, I suppose this is down to the judicial system of the country you reside in really. I know for example here in the UK, whilst we're not fully lax we do offer our prisoners a bit more creature comforts that some of the general populace would like. If you're in for a **relatively** minor crime and you're on your way to early release or something, I can see the benefit in slowly reintegrating someone into life as opposed to just plopping them back on the streets wondering what am I doing here lol. I understand other countries have a rehab-focused style so i can also see that working. It all depends on circumstance for me to be honest. Defo don't think it should be a carte blanche offer it out to every prisoner style thing though. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Blackangel Posted March 23, 2019 Share Posted March 23, 2019 9 hours ago, LadyDay said: Sorry to post three times in a row, I can't figure out how to edit a post. It depends a lot, both on the prison and the prisoner. Nowhere near all prisoners have jobs, there aren't enough to go around, and in maximum security prisons they have very little time outside the cell. They don't get to roam around. They do get to take classes if they want to, so they do have some occupied time. In the SHU (cruel and unusual punishment in my humble opinion) in the prison my friend is in they get ten minutes to shower three times per week and one hour of "yard time" in a cage three times per week. In the normal population they get a bit more, but still very little. In other words, they spend a lot of daytime in the cell. Alright, I'll stop posting now. Sorry for rambling on. When I was inside, we all had a job. We had a few hours in the yard, about 40 minutes at chow, and the majority of the day at the job they assigned us, and a lot of time in our cells. Virtually anything that wasn't "bought" at the prison was contraband, and got you sent to the hole for a minimum of 3 days. And it doesn't matter who you are or what you're in for, you're gonna go to the hole at least once. It's like hockey players. They're gonna spend time in the penalty box, there's no way around it. It's a pretty full day. LadyDay 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LadyDay Posted March 23, 2019 Share Posted March 23, 2019 2 minutes ago, The Blackangel said: When I was inside, we all had a job. We had a few hours in the yard, about 40 minutes at chow, and the majority of the day at the job they assigned us, and a lot of time in our cells. Virtually anything that wasn't "bought" at the prison was contraband, and got you sent to the hole for a minimum of 3 days. And it doesn't matter who you are or what you're in for, you're gonna go to the hole at least once. It's like hockey players. They're gonna spend time in the penalty box, there's no way around it. It's a pretty full day. Guess prisons are different. Big country and all. Assuming you're in the US? It's been different for the two I know. I'm glad you and the others with you had lots of stuff to do. I can't even imagine what it's like to be stuck in a tiny cell for extended periods! I'd go mental! Either way, glad you're out. 🙂 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
StaceyPowers Posted March 23, 2019 Share Posted March 23, 2019 @ladyday “You keep reminding me of myself!!! I could have written exactly the same!” We’re so alike =D “ Breaking people, rather than rehabilitating and building them up, just creates more crime. It's a vicious circle! Taking the freedom away from criminals is punishment in itself, and it should be used as a tool for helping people get back on track with life,” Exactly. I feel the goal should be to maximize freedom for all members of society to the highest degree possible. That necessitates locking some people up, unfortunately—but those people should be given the resources they need for a meaningful life. If they can be rehabilitated and reintegrated back into society, that is ideal. If not, the focus should still be on their personal growth. “Nowhere near all prisoners have jobs, there aren't enough to go around, and in maximum security prisons they have very little time outside the cell. “ Plus busy does not equal not bored. Not all activity is fulfilling. I mean, it is like saying that slavery = a full life if we keep slaves busy. LadyDay 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LadyDay Posted March 23, 2019 Share Posted March 23, 2019 48 minutes ago, StaceyPowers said: We’re so alike =D Sister from another mister 😄 48 minutes ago, StaceyPowers said: I feel the goal should be to maximize freedom for all members of society to the highest degree possible. Agreed. And surely the goal of prison should be to minimize crime too, not to increase it! Minimizing it is done by treating people as people and helping them back on track. Focusing solely on punishment, with no eye to the future of the individual, just creates more trouble and more broken people who can't function in normal society. So they keep yoyo'ing in and out of prison. Maximizing freedom should definitely be the philosophy. 54 minutes ago, StaceyPowers said: slavery = a full life if we keep slaves busy. And working all day (not just 8 hours. All day.) for 35 cents per hour is borderline slavery. They need a gaming-break! 🙂 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Heatman Posted March 23, 2019 Share Posted March 23, 2019 On 3/19/2019 at 1:38 AM, Anachiwo said: I'm struggling to find a good reason why gaming should be made available for prisoners? In my book, they don't deserve to enjoy the luxury of playing games till they have completely done their time in jail. Seriously, I have the same opinion as do you and it's practically baseless from my viewing perspective to avail criminals the privilege of having to enjoy playing games in prison. It's a complete waste of task payers money. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
