Remember, in the UK the games consoles are given to prisoners as rewards for behaving well.

Most people here (including myself) have probably never seen the inside of any prison beyond Shawshank and Foxriver but I presume the reality is very different to the hollywood reductions.

If you see prison as a way of reforming the prisoners then rewards and incentives for being good seem an adequate way of encouraging them to "play nice" with one another. On the other hand if you see prison as a pure way of them paying penence for their crimes then this would be an outrage... Makes for interesting debate...

Blocking WiFi-enabled devices just seems good sense to me...

[...] Source GamePolitics [...]

Unless they have a wiFi router within one hundred feet fo the complex, they have nothing to worry about, now talking between cells, I can see th,,t but I haven't seen a general chat function for it.

Video games ae good stress relievers since they cant get porn they shouldnt get OTT violent video games but on a whole better for them to have it and release soem stress than take it out on someone....

Poor Sony, they could do with selling some PS3s to prisons. The PS3 seems to have flopped here. First time in ages I've seen a console launch and the console hasn't sold out in ANY shops.

Little Britain: The Video Game

(It's the lowest rated PS2 game shown on Metacritic...)

Good I'm glad they aren't allowed PS3s they shouldn't be allowed any sort of computer games in any way shape or form, they're prisoners and are in jail to be punished not to sit on their arses playing computer games.

I'd be majorly pissed off if any criminal in jail was able to get a PS3 before me :P

I'm fairly sure we do allow for gaming systems within certain prisons.

*quick search*

Yep, it's definitely the case. From the British parliament website's archive, here: http://www.publications.parliament.uk/pa/cm200607/cmhansrd/cm070320/text...


"Mr. Hoban: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department pursuant to the answer of 19 February 2007, Official Report, column 108W, on Holloway prison, which games and videos are available for use. [126606]

Mr. Sutcliffe: Prisoners at Holloway have access to a range of films and DVDs. The prison has a central library of videos and DVDs which are vetted for suitability by the prison librarian. From this small library a number of films are provided to the first night centre for use by new prisoners.

Additionally, women on the enhanced level of the incentives and earned privileges scheme are entitled to receive up to 10 DVDs and six computer games through the post. These games and DVDs must be originals, must arrive at the prison sealed, and are vetted for suitability by prisoner reception staff. Unsuitable games and DVDs are placed in the prisoner’s stored property and she is advised in writing that the game or DVD will not be issued as it has been deemed unsuitable. The prisoner may appeal this decision to the Governor should she disagree."

Certainly, therefore, in Holloway prison some of the prisoners are entitled to computer games, and presumably consoles: logically the same may be the same for other prisons, and even if not they're certainly available in /some/ prisons.

Further to the above, you can see how much HM Prisons spent on Playstations (be this a catch-all term for games consoles, or 'just' Playstations beween 2004 and 2006 here.

/b