Missouri Bans Video Games From Prisons

The Day ^ | Jan 24, 2004 | DAVID A. LIEB

[swilhelm73]

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (AP) -- Gov. Matt Blunt banned video games from the state's prisons Monday, a month after a newspaper reported some of Missouri's most violent inmates were allowed to play games simulating murders, carjackings and the killings of police officers.

Blunt, a Republican who took office two weeks ago, called video games "a luxury that inmates should not be allowed to enjoy."

"Our penitentiaries are punitive institutions where those who have committed crimes against society are sent to pay for their actions. They are not meant to be arcades," Blunt said in a statement.

The ban applies to all video games - violent or not. Blunt said state tax dollars - as well as employees' time - should not be spent determining which video games are violent.

The Corrections Department already had removed 35 violent video games from the maximum-security Jefferson City Correctional Center as The Kansas City Star prepared to publish a story about the games in early December.

The games, which were paid for with profits from the prison canteen, included titles such as "Hitman: Contracts," in which players use everything from meat hooks to silencer-equipped pistols to carry out contract killings.

In prison, inmates should "pick up skills and abilities that will allow them to go back out into society and be productive citizens," Blunt said. "Playing video games doesn't have anything to do with either of those objectives."

It's unclear how many states allow video games in prison.

[coconutt2000]

Hahaha... duh.

[4mycountry]

Yeah, let's just give these guys a copy of Grand Theft Auto, that'll be good. /sarcasm

Duh, people!

[carlr]

Aw,the poor baaabies.</sarcasam>

[aynrandfreak]

And people wonder why we lose the felon vote.

[atomicpossum]

Well, Gov. Blunt seems to be living up to his name.

[silent_jonny]

marker

[E Rocc]

Bad idea actually, for a lot of the inmates these games will be just like they are for most people.....ways of destressing. Better to allow them as a reward for good behavior and deny them as a punishment for bad.

Some politicians must grandstand, though....

-Eric

[socal_parrot]

Dirty rotten screws!!!

[gura]

He sure is, and I love it!

[TheBattman]

While they are at it - how about banning all of the following (after all, it's not suppose to be a vacation):

Cable TV (how about TV period?)
A/C
Conjugal visits
Cigarettes
Early Release
etc......

[MRMEAN]

Good, good. And next let's restrict their TV viewing privileges to TBN and The Weather Channel.And I'm sure that that magazines like Maxim and Playboy were taken away from them years ago. And horrors, no playing cards please. Let's make sure that they have nothing to do but listen to "Muslim brothers" and practice prison Islam. Much more wholesome.

[Mark]

A certain Arizona sheriff has a few ideas.

[swilhelm73]

Uh, so let me understand here, you believe that prisoners should be able to play games like Grand Theft Auto while serving time for murder, grand theft auto, rape, etc?

Perhaps we should allow pedophiles to download kiddie porn too?

[Caipirabob]

Barbarians! Guess prison won't be so great a destination after all. Who'd a thought?

[Sloth]

[CARDINALRULES]

About damn time!

---

APYOC--see I didn't have to post the blurb from MONET afterall...knew some other FReeper would find and post it.

;-`)

[Publius6961]

Heck, I don't see how having TV accomplishes aeither of the stated goals either.
Unless they are locked to PBS 24/7.

[MRMEAN]

Uh, so let me understand here, you believe that prisoners should be able to play games like Grand Theft Auto while serving time for murder, grand theft auto, rape, etc?
Perhaps we should allow pedophiles to download kiddie porn too?

GTA is a GAME, these guys are LOCKED UP, and I don't have a problem with them playing any game. If they did cause problems in prison (and there is no evidence presented that they do), I don't feel strongly about about censoring certain games; here ALL games are being prohibited; including potentially constructive games such as the SIMS.

And many people in prison are not there for violent crime; there are ordinary people who got caught using illegal drugs, small-time drug sellers, drunk drivers,innocent men and women who made the mistake of running day-care facilities, but fell victim to witch-hunting prosecutors; white-collar criminals, tax-evadors, tax-protestors, securities-law violators (eg Martha Stewart)...and someday, under President Hillary Clinton, YOU might find that your postings on FR constitute "hate crimes," and you might find yourself in the bare concrete room, sans cigarettes, sans TV, sans gameboy, sans iPod, sans everything you would deny others.

Once someone goes to prison, I think that we should treat the prisoner as much as possible as a human being; until, in prison, they prove that for the order of the prison they need to be treated more harshly.

And, FYI, since you have never checked them out, Playboy and Maxim are not "kiddie-porn."

[swilhelm73]

I don't have a problem with them playing any game

It seems you do not understand the idea of prison. Why should felons be playing video games? Let alone the violent ones in question in this article?

And many people in prison are not there for violent crime; there are ordinary people who got caught using illegal drugs

If you believe drugs should be decriminalized then go try and persuade your fellow citizens to change the laws against it.

The point of prison is to punish those that have broken the law.

And, FYI, since you have never checked them out, Playboy and Maxim are not "kiddie-porn."

Which is why I did not reference them.

Then again, since you bring it up, why should felons be allowed to look at porn; softcore, hardcore, or kiddie, while being punished for their crimes?