A recent enquiry under the freedom of information act has
revealed a number of interesting snippets about the TV viewing habits of prison
inmates in the UK. According to the MOJ prisoners are allowed to watch a
selection of free to air channels as well as the BBC and ITV stations. Within
some privately run prisons a limited number of subscription and satellite channels
are also available to selected inmates. The provision of a small TV set and the
ability to watch TV in your cell is reportedly conditional on good behaviour,
though the definition of good behaviour was not specified. One prison officer
reported that an inmate had thrown his television at an officer, smashing it to
pieces, within an hour the inmate had been given a replacement TV.
The report goes on to mention that the soaps and the digital
channel E4 were particularly popular within the women’s prisons while Sky
Sports News was the channel of choice within male establishments, though the
service was withdrawn when it became a subscription only service.
I am not advocating that all prisoners should be flogged
daily or strung up to the wall by their thumbs, though I do think it was a
missed opportunity when the country stopped shipping our most notorious felons
off to the colonies.
It should be remembered that a great many of those that find
themselves detained at Her Majesty’s pleasure have mental health issues, or
self-inflicted ailments resulting from drink or drug abuse. Undoubtedly support,
training and rehabilitation will assist a few in turning their lives around,
just how much support inmates should receive will always be open to question.
There are those that would argue that anything short of
conjugal visits is a denial of human rights. It is usual for the people who
espouse this policy to overlook the human rights of the individuals who have
suffered as a result of the actions of the person who perpetrated the crime.
Crime and punishment being such a political hot potato
whoever happens to be in government will always look to talk up the successes
of their particular policies, however ill-conceived or inept they may be. This
situation seems to have spawned a breed of prison inmate who views the system
as a way of life and quite enjoy the ‘holiday camp’ atmosphere. Free food and
accommodation, no utility bills to worry about and if you’re lucky enough you
might be able to come out with a degree to your name, a job to go to and no
student debt.
Let’s not forget that the reason for these
people being incarcerated is because they have transgressed the law by
inflicting pain and suffering on their victims. It is the taxpayer who is
funding the prison system the primary purpose of which is to punish those who
have broken the laws of the land. Being deprived of a choice of TV should not
be considered a denial of basic human rights. If prisoners want to watch TV in
the pricacy of their cell then the TV they are allowed to watch should be
appropriate to their status. No more casing the joints on ‘Antiques Roadshow’
or ‘House in the country’. Forget ‘Eastenders’, ‘Corrie’ and ‘Big, fat, gypsy
wedding’ there should only be 2 choices available for inmates to watch – the
food channel and a 24-hour loop with back to back episodes of ‘One man and his
dog’.
