So much on TV these days is about "stuff." Flashy cars, flashy homes, flashy lifestyles. Much of the offerings have replaced stories of people with stories of "stuff." Though I'm sure some would dispute this, a lot of the images reflect a ghetto attitude.
Possibly because the networks believe (rightly or wrongly) that ghetto and "hood" viewers as well as the prison population represont their largest and most faithful viewing demographic?