Prisoner's rights... has it gone a bit too far?

[Hecktix]

I read the article below in my local newspaper yesterday and I have to say I was quite appalled at what this guy was saying. Infact, I was quite shocked they get so much digital TV anyway.

Should prisoners have these kinds of luxuries at all?

Child porn pervert wants more choice from digital TV channels in prison

Kevin Skaith.



A twice jailed child porn pervert from Lincoln has made a complaint about the choice of digital TV channels in prison.
Kevin Skaith, 43, the former publisher of The Lincolnshire Gazette, is banged up at HMP Whatton, in Nottingham.
He was last year jailed for three-and-a-half years after he admitted possessing 119,688 child porn images and nine counts of making indecent photos of children.
Skaith, formerly of Thonock Close, Lincoln, was previously jailed for three-and-a-half years in May 2005 after downloading 70,000 indecent images of children from the internet.

Now the Echo has seen a letter penned by Skaith to the prisoners' national newspaper insidetime.
Skaith, who is on the sex offenders' register for life, complains that he is not interested in the current choice of "soap, sex and sport" beamed into cells on digital television.
He says this is designed to "keep the noisier element happy" with a diet of EastEnders, football and raunchy movies and music videos.
Instead, he wrote from his cell he wanted access to UKTV channel Yesterday – formerly UK History – BBC4 and the BBC Parliament channel.
Earlier this year the Ministry of Justice confirmed that as part of the digital migration programme prisoners would have access to the five terrestrial channels, as well as Sky Sports News, ITV3, Film 4 and The Music Factory.
"There are several available channels that meet the criterion of being 'educational', and would be welcomed by the 'non-average criminal'," Skaith wrote.
"As a prisoner who picks up a book rather than a TV remote, I would welcome a channel like Yesterday or BBC4.
"And surely the inclusion of BBC Parliament into a system that offers limited choice would increase the likelihood of MPs' work being viewed and, ultimately, their contributions to the country acknowledged.
"It would appear that the introduction of digital TV to the prison estate is to be targeted at the stereotypical convict, whose sole interests consist of sport, soap and sex."

[Black_Apalachi]

Apparently they also get XBOXs. If this means every cell has a TV in it, that's one big waste of money right there for a start.

[HotelUser]

He was caught making child pornography and only got three years:S

I don't think they should get TV or computers at all. Books, newspapers and playing chess with there other inmates is about all they really deserve to be able to do!

[Black_Apalachi]

Once when I was a school, some prison officers came in to give us a talk on what prison is like. I'm sure they must have been making it all up to scare us because they made it sound absolutely awful and there was no mention of TVs or any other luxuries.

[GommeInc]

I always pictured prisons as having one huge dining hall with one medium sized (22" - 32") TV on a post where you can watch television :/ This is all they need, they lost many liberties the moment they committed any crimes. If anything, luxuries should be reserved for rehabilition prisons where an individual is violent or just generally a criminal due to some sort of mental stress or trauma, to keep them out of the public face and have them recover in a safe and relatively comfortable environment. Violent crimes with intent by individuals should just be locked up and given little choice in entertainment. Heck, quite lot of 3 or 4 star hotels do not get these sorts of luxuries :/ And 5 star hotels by default do not even have Xboxs :/

[immense]

I think you lot are making it sound like it's welcoming or some sort of hotel. Personally, I don't think so, no. They've lost the only thing worth living for - freedom. The fact they can't see their family whenever they want, they can't walk their dog, they can't take their kids to the park. That punishment is sufficient enough as far as I'm concerned. I think the media blow things out of all proportion and forget far too easily that prison is not a nice place to be. If they have TVs then so be it.

[ifuseekamy]

Prisons should have the bare minimum. There are people out there who, yes despite having freedom, will probably never afford things like Xboxes or Sky+ and whatnot. Taxes should be set aside for far worthier causes and people than some old pervert whining about his human rights being infringed because he doesn't have his favourite TV channel available.

[immense]

What else are they going to do though, they can't literally be expected to walk around the prison or sit in their cell all day.

[Inseriousity.]

I think you lot are making it sound like it's welcoming or some sort of hotel. Personally, I don't think so, no. They've lost the only thing worth living for - freedom. The fact they can't see their family whenever they want, they can't walk their dog, they can't take their kids to the park. That punishment is sufficient enough as far as I'm concerned. I think the media blow things out of all proportion and forget far too easily that prison is not a nice place to be. If they have TVs then so be it.

This. TV is a reward for being good in the prison I believe and then they only get half an hour or an hour? The rest is doing little jobs around the prison, exercise. Doesn't sound like my idea of fun tbh.

[immense]

We're so fantastic and forgiving, Mike.