Do you think that inmates should be able to have internet access? How about death row inmates? Do you think that inmates should be able to post personal ads online?

(this is coming from THS Investigates Love Behind Bars on E! I just wondered what you all thought of this)

Nope, they were put inside prison for a reason (to be isolated from the outside world) allowing internet access is not following through with the rules set in place. How are they suppose to learn they're lesson, I feel for they're families but prison is not a place to have fun.

Honestly, no.

Nope, they were put inside prison for a reason (to be isolated from the outside world) allowing internet access is not following through with the rules set in place. How are they suppose to learn they're lesson, I feel for they're families but prison is not a place to have fun.

couldnt have said it better myself

I would say if things were blocked off of their internet. But there are always loop holes.
so no.

nope. in prison, internet would be a luxury, not a necessity, and prison is not meant for luxuries.

Umm, no. What if it were a rapist, and he started stalking/e-mail the person he raped? Prison is to punish you, and to protect the ppl you did something to (if that applies). Internet is not a punishment, it is freedom. what can't you do on the net that you can do in real life? pretty much nothing.

I'm going to go against the grain here and say I think they should but ONLY to email. There should be some kind of system were certain criminals may not get it, you have to do something to earn it, you can only have it so many days a week, or it cost so much per minute, etc, and it should definitely be monitored activity to limit who they can contact. But I think email access is important. They certainly shouldn't be allowed just random browsing time to check myspace or dating sites or whatever though.

No. I think inmates are given luxories that they do not deserve. I do not think they should be allowed 99% of what our country allows them. People in prison generally are in there for fairly horrid things and why should they be rewarded for their bad deeds? I also think that they should have to do hard manual labor rather sit on their asses doing nothing.

I say all that and I have a brother who will be an inmate for the next 30 something years, so it is not just because I am a heartless person :D

Do you think that inmates should be able to have internet access? How about death row inmates? Do you think that inmates should be able to post personal ads online?

(this is coming from THS Investigates Love Behind Bars on E! I just wondered what you all thought of this)

I think inmates should have internet access. For non-violent criminals and the like. Obviously, they've made a wrong choice if they've landed in jail. However, a lot of them (after serving some time and actually thinking) realize this. Maybe say if they've been in for a year they should get it for good behavior?

Death-row inmates though? Not at all. If they're truly guilty, they have much more important things to contemplate than the internet.

As for personal ads? NEVER. I could see looking up religous stuff, academic interests, etc.- but picking up people is NOT what jail is for. So never, in that case. Perhaps filtering certain sites/subjects like they do at school?

I don't care as long as they're in jail.

No. I believe all prisons should be run just like the following:


Maricopa County was spending approx. $18 million dollars a year on stray animals, like cats and dogs. Sheriff Joe offered to take the department over, and the County Supervisors said okay.

The animal shelters are now all staffed and operated by prisoners. They feed and care for the strays. Every animal in his care is taken out and walked twice daily. He now has prisoners who are experts in animal nutrition and behavior. They give great classes for anyone who'd like to adopt an animal. He has literally taken stray dogs off the street, given them to the care of prisoners, and had them place in dog shows.

The best part? His budget for the entire department is now under $3 million. Teresa and I adopted a Weimaraner from a Maricopa County shelter two years ago. He was neutered, and current on all shots, in great health, and even had a microchip inserted the day we got him. Cost us $78.

The prisoners get the benefit of about $0.28 an hour for working, but most would work for free, just to be out of their cells for the day. Most of his budget is for utilities, building maintenance, etc. He pays the prisoners out of the fees collected for adopted animals.

I have long wondered when the rest of the country would take a look at the way he runs the jail system, and copy some of his ideas. He has a huge farm, donated to the county years ago, where inmates can work, and they grow most of their own fresh vegetables and food, doing all the work and harvesting by hand. He has a pretty good sized hog farm, which provides meat, and fertilizer. It fertilizes the Christmas tree nursery, where prisoners work, and you can buy a living Christmas tree for $6 - $8 for the Holidays, and plant it later. We have six trees in our yard from the Prison.

Yup, he was reelected last year with 83% of the vote.
Now he's in trouble with the ACLU again. He painted all his buses and vehicles with a mural, that has a special hotline phone number painted on it, where you can call and report suspected illegal aliens. Immigrations and Customs Enforcement wasn't doing enough in his eyes, so he had 40 deputies trained specifically for enforcing immigration laws, started up his hotline, and bought 4 new buses just for hauling folks back to the border. He's kind of a 'Git-R Dun' kind of Sheriff.

TO THOSE OF YOU NOT FAMILIAR WITH JOE ARPAIO
HE IS THE MARICOPA ARIZONA COUNTY SHERIFF

AND HE KEEPS GETTING ELECTED OVER AND OVER THIS IS ONE OF THE REASONS WHY:

Sheriff Joe Arpaio (In Arizona ) who created the ' Tent City Jail':
He has jail meals down to 40 cents a serving and charges the inmates for them.

He stopped smoking and porno magazines in the jails. Took away their weights Cut off all but 'G' movies.

He started chain gangs so the inmates could do free work on county and city projects.

Then He Started Chain Gangs For Women So He Wouldn't Get
Sued For Discrimination.

He took away cable TV Until he found out there was A Federal Court Order that Required Cable TV For Jails So He Hooked Up The Cable TV Again Only Let In The Disney Channel And The Weather Channel.

When asked why the weather channel He Replied, So They Will Know How Hot It's Gonna Be While They Are Working On My Chain Gangs.

He Cut Off Coffee Since It Has Zero Nutritional Value.

When the inmates complained, he told them, 'This Isn't The Ritz/Carlton. ....If You Don't Like It, Don't Come Back.'

He bought Newt Gingrich's lecture series on videotape that he pipes into the jails.

When asked by a reporter if he had any lecture series by a Democrat, he replied that a democratic lecture series might explain why a lot of the inmates were in his jails in the first place.

More On The Arizona Sheriff:

With Temperatures Being Even Hotter Than Usual In Phoenix (116 Degrees Just Set A New Record), the Associated Press Reports:

About 2,000 Inmates Living In A Barbed-Wire- Surrounded Tent Encampment At The Maricopa County Jail Have Been Given Permission To Strip Down To Their Government-Issued Pink Boxer Shorts.

On Wednesday, hundreds of men wearing boxers were either curled up on their bunk beds or chatted in the tents, which reached 138 Degrees Inside The Week Before.

Many Were Also Swathed In Wet, Pink Towels As Sweat Collected On Their Chests And Dripped Down To Their PINK SOCKS.

'It Feels Like We Are In A Furnace,' Said James Zanzot, An Inmate Who Has Lived In The TENTS for 1 year. 'It's Inhumane.'

Joe Arpaio, the tough-guy sheriff who created the tent city and long ago started making his prisoners wear pink, and eat bologna sandwiches, is not one bit sympathetic. He said Wednesday that he told all of the inmates: 'It's 120 Degrees In Iraq And Our Soldiers Are Living In Tents Too, And They Have To Wear Full Battle Gear, But They Didn't Commit Any Crimes,So Shut Your Mouths!'

Maybe if all prisons were like this one there would be a lot less crime and/or repeat offenders. Criminals should be punished for their crimes - not live in luxury until it's time for their parole, only to go out and commit another crime so they can get back in to live on taxpayers money and enjoy things taxpayers can't afford to have for themselves.

Sheriff Joe was just reelected Sheriff in Maricopa County , Arizona

No. I believe all prisons should be run just like the following:


I completely agree!!!

for minor crimes and good behavior, yes

Nope.

If they wanted freedoms and entertainment they should have thought about the consequences of whatever put them there.

I think inmates should have internet access. For non-violent criminals and the like. Obviously, they've made a wrong choice if they've landed in jail. However, a lot of them (after serving some time and actually thinking) realize this. Maybe say if they've been in for a year they should get it for good behavior?

Death-row inmates though? Not at all. If they're truly guilty, they have much more important things to contemplate than the internet.

As for personal ads? NEVER. I could see looking up religous stuff, academic interests, etc.- but picking up people is NOT what jail is for. So never, in that case. Perhaps filtering certain sites/subjects like they do at school?

Yeah but for every internet filter, there is a proxie to get around it. It's a constant fight.

I say no, they should not have access to the internet.

No, they shouldn't. And this is kind of random but, I'm kinda annoyed at the thought they have a better internet connection than my DH in Iraq :lol

No, they shouldn't. And this is kind of random but, I'm kinda annoyed at the thought they have a better internet connection than my DH in Iraq :lol

its true...and prison has better food than they do at ft Irwin...thats from my boyfriend...he actually looked it up and its true

Plain and simple, no.

No. I believe all prisons should be run just like the following:


That is amazing

Crap I didn't do it right. lol

its true...and prison has better food than they do at ft Irwin...thats from my boyfriend...he actually looked it up and its true

Ive heard some bad things about the dining facilities at other posts.
my DH is a cook but the one here, WOW i so craved the food from the dfac when I was pregnant lol.

Nope, they were put inside prison for a reason (to be isolated from the outside world) allowing internet access is not following through with the rules set in place. How are they suppose to learn they're lesson, I feel for they're families but prison is not a place to have fun.

:hail
That includes my FIL(when he was in) and he knows it.

i was not aware they had internet access in alabama (they don't). My mom has been in and out of prison all my life and it still the same where she is. She takes college courses but all by mail correspondance. I sometimes wish she did have internet access just so I could talk to her more but I know why they don't.

No, No and No.

Hell no as is they have more rights and crap than we do on the outside!and we are paying for it all!

i was not aware they had internet access in alabama (they don't). My mom has been in and out of prison all my life and it still the same where she is. She takes college courses but all by mail correspondance. I sometimes wish she did have internet access just so I could talk to her more but I know why they don't.


For some reason I thought that they had it in Alabama prisons. Oh well. I guess I learned something new.

For some reason I thought that they had it in Alabama prisons. Oh well. I guess I learned something new.

they might but not at Tutwiler. if they do, trust me, it is something new. My bio-mom is one of the honor inmates and she doesn't get internet access. The only time she was allowed to see www. was when she took her associates degree classes and it was only to go to the prison homepage....like she doesn't know what THAT looks like.

Nope. They shouldn't get those types of luxuries, plus here in Texas, it is probably about the same everywhere else, it costs $70 a day to house in inmate for the taxpayers money. If they got internet we would be paying for that too.

NO!!
I know what these people can do with the internet . A lot of our Psych patients came from high security prisons. They know how to get around the internet in order to destroy someone elses life. Emails are also a very bad idea as they can stalk someone . They can give instructions/orders to people outside to do things(commit serious crimes) on their behalf. They can also be sent explicit photos in emails.
A lot of these people are peadophiles, murderers & sexual predators.
Normally all their normal mail is screened . How can that be done if they are free to write emails.
A prisoner can be very cunning . They can act as a perfect model prisoner for 10 years only to wait for the perfect opportunity to get back at someone. and the internet can be the perfect tool to do this.

Nope. Inmates should be allowed only the basics: food, water, medical care, toilet and laundry facilities. You're in there for a reason: you HAVE no rights because you fucked up. Traffic court, animal cruelty, rape, murder: you're not there to have a vacation at the taxpayers expense.

Negative. No ifs ands or buts.

Ok... MAYBE for inmates that are in for non-violent crimes and to talk to children.

Nope. Inmates should be allowed only the basics: food, water, medical care, toilet and laundry facilities. You're in there for a reason: you HAVE no rights because you fucked up. Traffic court, animal cruelty, rape, murder: you're not there to have a vacation at the taxpayers expense.

You took the words right out of my mouth! I also think TV and all those other "luxuries" should be taken away, people go there for a reason. I think if we took all the good stuff away there would be less people sitting in jail and they may think before they comit a crime that will send them tehre.

It's like they actually have life SO much easier. I know they don't, but think about it: meals at some other person's expense, healthcare, roof over their head that they don't have to pay for...

You're in trouble: you get NOTHING. Big ol' goose egg...

I don't care if they have internet access, but totally limited to emails and only approved addresses, and approved sites PERIOD. They should also have limited time...like 15 minutes a day or something.

Absolutely NOT! I do not think they should have access to manipulate on others.

No they should not be allowed internet access. That is just an easier way for many offenders to make contact with their victims or to stay in touch with people they were running with when they committed the crimes. Prison is prison for a reason, how is it punishment if they have all the comforts of home?

I asked DH what he thought of this since he is stationed in Guantánamo Bay and works in the prison, this is what he said.....


nope
I think inmates should be stripped of all basic human rights, I understand there might be some innocent people in there. I think they already get too much liberties, they should be allowed to eat 3 times a day, go outside for 1hr, and sleep 8 hrs and the rest they should be working doing some kind of community shit like making license plates lol and whent they get out a portion of their paycheck should go back to the government to pay back all the money they wasted cause they couldnt abide by the law, and btw who the fuck is going to pay for their internet access??? not them! the american people thats who!

As much as we all think they should be stripped of all human rights, they are not and they never will be. Because the second you do that someone will scream that it's inhumane. So if they are going to get things anyway..the least they could do is limit them.

No.

You know, this just irritates the shit out of me!!! :reallymad

These inmates have it made...Yeah, Maybe they are locked up and someone threw away the key, but most of them deserve it. My husband gets 2 scoops of nasty ass eggs in the morning and maybe some turkey baccon. His internet access sucks major donkey dick and the phones dont work half the time. These inamtes have cable TV, conju...whatever visits with loved ones, air conditioning... They get a good nights rest, rec time.....give me a break!!!!!

Good Lord, these are convicts for hells sakes!!!!!

No, only for education, like better learning and that's it.

My bestest friend in the whole world's brother is in federal prison for 15 years.. We've all known each other since we were 10..

I wish I could send him emails, and pictures of his nieces and my kid, my new car, our farm, my wedding..

I guess that's the way the ball bounces though.. :shrug

Convicts do not need a new way to stalk their victims.:no

I think they should be allowed access to computers, with educational cd roms and such(which are already available in the prison libraries) but not necessarily internet access.
IMO, any access should be given out one at a time with a guard standing directly behind the person. For instance, everyone who behaves this week gets fifteen minutes, etc.

I think no. I think that we spend WAY too much money giving luxuries to inmates. TV, school, internet?! these people are in there to be punished!! I think we could save a lot of money for our economy if we kept them from such luxuries. the return to prison rate is pretty high. it needs to be an uglier place to be.

It's like they actually have life SO much easier. I know they don't, but think about it: meals at some other person's expense, healthcare, roof over their head that they don't have to pay for...

You're in trouble: you get NOTHING. Big ol' goose egg...


For some it truely IS easier.. especially those who have spent so much time behind bars that they can't function on the outside.. nevermind the fact that a criminal record makes it HARD to get a good job and a good place to live.



This is a tough one for me.. my innitial reaction is hell no... I have a LOT of family who have been/are in prison and most of them I feel deserve no luxuries for their offenses...but there are others who I truely believe are/were wrongly there and do deserve it. My uncle is a prison minister, he is also a lifer convicted of murder. He has internet access as far as I know and he literally changes peoples lives with his ministry. I guess in general I'd say no, but it's really a tough call when it comes to certain circumstances and/or people. I do believe if they have access it should be VERY limited.

NOPE!!! If the working class can't afford why should an inmate who infringed on the rights of others have that luxury.

ALSO... sailors have a teeny amount of space when on a ship. They cram themselves into spaces the sizes of coffins. They eat powdered eggs, drink powdered milk, meat doesn't last long and things spoil easily. Half the time the coffee makers are broken, and they don't have access to internet all the time and can't communicate with their families.. YET they volunteer to leave their families and put themselves in a situation where they are isolated and in danger at times.

WHY should a person who is taking advantage of the rights that our service members protect be able to have BETTER living conditions than these service members.

Make them work and don't let them benefit from their bad actions. I swear... we pay out of the ASS every year for the prison systems... they could put that money into education, retirement, social welfare programs, better care for foster kids, etc etc etc... PAY DOWN THE NATIONAL DEBT...

I've got so much to say about the prison systems, but this post is about internet

SO NO!!! NO INTERNET in prisons... no matter how minor the offense.

No internet
they can have letters
but do you really want inmates to gain access to myspace? or facebook?
or any other forum where they could talk to children?:wow

ohh heck no :nope

Nope, they were put inside prison for a reason (to be isolated from the outside world) allowing internet access is not following through with the rules set in place. How are they suppose to learn they're lesson, I feel for they're families but prison is not a place to have fun.

:clap :agree

I don't plan on dating an inmate, so I don't care either way.

No. I believe all prisons should be run just like the following:

Me too. I think there'd be a lower recividism rate if prisons were more like that. I also agree with Vinnysgirl and was going to say the same thing myself before I saw her post. I don't think prisoners should be better able to communicate with their families than military members- and if they had internet access, that might be the case.

I think it depends a lot on how heavily monitored it is. My first reaction was absolutely not, because if they can find a way to commit crimes out of prison, they can find a way to do so from inside as well, and there's all kinds of opportunities to be a big creepo online, let's face it. But if it is heavily monitored, not just by computerized screening but also by some kind of personel or recording device, SOMETHING, then it could be a good thing. I got the chance a few times to talk to inmates, and for a lot of people incentives are everything. If they can, say, play games online, or something, it could be a good reform reward, know what I mean? But I definitely don't think they should be able to post personal ads or something. I think that if they are still in prison they haven't earned those rights back.

No I don't.

I don't think so....This is a poor analogy, but the first one that came to my head.... It's like putting a child in time out yet letting them play w/ all their toys- what's the point? Where's the punishment? I know prison and time out are 2 different things... But if an inmate has luxuries from the outside world, I don't think the punishment is severe enough that he/ she wouldn't think twice about commiting the crime again...

Nopes......Can't say more then you guys did.

There are people who are not in prison who just can't even afford to have internet. Internet or email access is a luxury not a necessity. There is no way I want my taxes to go to pay for prisoners to have internet access.

No. I believe all prisons should be run just like the following:


I too totally agree!! Spend more money on rehabilitating the felons then just locking them up! Make them work for their room & board, stop taxing the citizens and making US pay their way, give them jobs that had a "human" aspect to it (most criminals have lost the sense of human compassion). Make it so they DON'T want to return to jail/prison. I wish we could get more Sheriff's like this man!!!

My bestest friend in the whole world's brother is in federal prison for 15 years.. We've all known each other since we were 10..

I wish I could send him emails, and pictures of his nieces and my kid, my new car, our farm, my wedding..

I guess that's the way the ball bounces though.. :shrug

I've had family in a LOT of different prisons and only one of them have ever had net access.. and I think his situation is different because he's a minister, but I don't believe he has e-mail or anything like that.. He went to prison before the internet even existed though.. and will be there until he dies.

There are a lot of prisons that the inmates get very little luxuries, not all of them have it made. There is also a whole other side of prison life that isn't pretty and is awful, even for someone who committed a crime. A lot of them are raped, sodomized with objects, beaten etc. A friend of my mom was raped with the handle to a plunger and had a stick shoved into the head of his penis as far down at they could.... all because he couldn't get his hands on some cigarettes. He didn't have money for someone so when they were on snow shoveling detail on an overpass (minimum security prison that had them doing community work), he was thrown over it, into a river and almost died because he couldn't swim and it was FREEZING cold. My cousine was attacked by a prison guard who put weights into a towel and bashed his face with it... he was in for drug posession, but was attacked because of who his uncle was (my uncle Danny, the lifer).

Just rambling now... but my point is, it's not all fun for them.