Prison Inmates Access to Porn Sites
OP/ED by Mariah Milano
I have debated writing anything on this subject for a while now but I think it needs to be addressed. For the last few years I have gotten at least 4 or 5 emails every week from inmates serving time in prison. I often wondered how in the hell they got my email so I finally replied back to one to find out. I was told me he got my email address from my website. I was taken aback that prisoners would have access to porn sites much less email accounts. The initial email is sent via a prison authorization that reads like this:
"Prisoner Joseph (last name withheld) is an inmate at such and such penal facility" and then it asks you to authorize this contact. When you do, his email is then forwarded to you and you can reply back to him. he can’t email you directly without you first authorizing and accepting his request for contact and there is a disclaimer as well.
I went back and forth with him several times asking questions and answering some of his in return. I thought maybe he’s doing some soft time in a white-collar federal country club but he’s not. He’s doing 25 to life for strong-armed robbery! I wasn’t sure what that meant but found out that he used used a gun in the commission of a robbery, in this case it was a home invasion. Now to me there is no more terrifying crime than to have someone force themselves into your home and hold you at gun point while they rob you or worse. To me that is a crime that should be punished to the extent of the system with labor camps and very limited comforts. It is a first degree felony and qualifies as a strike on your record. (I have found that the first strike has to be a violent felon, not all first felonies are strikes) Sheriff Joe in Arizona has it right and I wish more penal systems would follow his concept.
This inmate, who’s name is Joseph, has cable television in his cell in addition to 3 hours of internet access a day. His access is unfiltered but he says it can be monitored at any time, but he’s accessing porn sites so obviously they aren’t very strict on content. He tells me that those serving time for sex crimes have the same access he does and that we can thank the good people at the ACLU who have fought for them to have the "right to information" which in these modern times means the internet. I have no issue with someone getting access to news and to know what’s going on in the world. I think that adds to the punishment to see the world going by only as a spectator, but full cable television which costs me nearly $200 a month when you add in phone and internet.
To make this even more incredible, he asked if he could call me. I declined and he said "not collect if that’s what you’re worried about. I have a cell." I couldn’t believe it! So I asked if I understood him correctly and he verified that he indeed has a cell phone that his mother puts minutes on every month. So not only is he permitted to porn sites online, cable television he also has his own cell phone…while serving time for armed robbery during a home invasion!
I hope that I am not the only one to find this seriously troubling. I know that the liberals reading this will side with the ACLU and their hearts will bleed for the incarcerated but I think that if someone is being imprisoned for a first degree violent felony where they terrified people in their own homes with guns that they should get fucking NOTHING that even resembles a creature comfort. I would not allow them a blanket or a pillow if it were up to me. I don’t believe that prison helps very many people and certainly not enough to turn it into group fucking therapy. Prison for those who commit violent crimes should be punishment, plain and simple. In a perfect world offenders would be punishment in the same manor of crime they committed. If you raped someone you should be repeatedly raped. If you tortured and terrified someone you should be tortured and terrified. If you killed someone in cold blood then by all means you should be killed in the very same manor. An eye for an eye, live by the sword die by the sword or any other metaphor or Bible reference you wish to use.
The world we live in is changing and as a society we are getting softer and softer and becoming far too tolerant for things that are going to be the demise of us as a people. We have schools in 3 states now that will assist girls age 13 and up with getting abortions without their parents consent. Is that fucking insane to anyone else? That’s a surgical procedure on a child without a parent’s consent?
We have people who rape children and infants being released from jails by judges because there are no minimal sentences and bond guidelines for these crimes in 18 states. A judge in Vermont released a man on his own recognizance who raped a 4 year old boy! Did I mention he was on parole for the rape of an infant at the time he committed this rape? The judge stated that "he didn’t believe that jail was the proper environment for this person and a medical facility to help treat him for his demons was more appropriate" so he let him walk out of the courtroom without restriction. Thank God that his parole officer wasn’t as fucking retarded and violated him and sent him back to the state prison where he belongs. But sadly, the ACLU is paying for the defense of this child rapist on grounds that "his civil liberties granted by a seated elected official were violated"
And now we are giving these people who are supposed to be in jail being punished for crimes against the rest of us unfiltered access to porn. I was doing some research on this before I started writing and see that some inmates have done everything from hiring escorts online as well as running adult sites and fraudulent eBay auctions from inside prison!
So now, the assault on me can begin by those of you who have designated yourselves as the online adversaries to everything because it’s the only relevant role you can ever play with any confidence. Have at it. Tell me how I’m a right wing wacko and that everyone deserves a chance and access to internet porn even when they’ve invaded homes and held families at gun point.
I totally agree with you on this. ACLU has their heart in the right place trying to see that every american has their civil liberties but sometimes they go way too far. No way inmates should have cell phones, cable in their cells, and internet access to be looking at porn.
Whatever happened to the rights of the victims? Prison is supposed to be a punishment not a country club.
Where do they have these computer rooms, in a seperate room? I can’t imagine prisoners just whipping their dicks out and jerking them off in front of everyone. And isn’t their internet activity being monitored? Cable t.v. inside the cell sounds like club fed to me.
Internet in prison sounds like the public libraries. I’ve often seen people watching porn which they’re not supposed to. Whether, in the pen or somewhere else, people choose to use the internet for educational or purely entertainment or escapist reasons.
Keep in mind, Mariah, prisons are called “correctional facilities”. The hope is, if and when they eventually get out of prison that they will be able to get a job and have a place in society so they will not end back up in the can, again.
The positive aspects of internet can include cutting down on postal mail and the costly process of opening letters to search for contraband. They can also keep in touch with family and visitors through the internet. The net can be a tool for rehabilitation if used that way. The web is a crucial tool for education and community engagement these days. Familiarity with technology and the internet are required skills to function in today’s society, and we’re hoping that prisoners will one day rejoin society as productive citizens.
Internet access can be offered as a privilege for prisoners who earn it with a record of good behavior. It can become a place where they build communities outside of prison before their release, where they study to earn online degrees or certificates, etc.
It’s not just about an eye for an eye. We want them ending up better then how they started when they went in there. Also, not all people in prison are bad. Sometimes it’s bad circumstances or luck which lead them there. Remember crime starts at the top and the biggest criminals are ruling this country!
Most of the people in jail are in there for non-violent crimes.
This isn’t suprising to me. The U.S., calling itself a free country, has more people in prisons then any country in the world. And I don’t care if you have free food, free cable and internet, that’s not a place I’d ever want to be.
Yeah! Fuck Civil Liberties and the Judicial System!
also I totally agree on your point “The world we live in is changing and as a society we are getting softer and softer and becoming far too tolerant for things that are going to be the demise of us as a people.”
Can you believe we have websites on the internet with women engaging in homosexual acts with other women- AND THERE’S NO ONE OUT THERE CORRECTIVELY RAPING THEM!
Just the other day the ACLU was making sure that PORN was protected under the frist amendment ( again them and their fucking civil liberty bullshit!) can you believe they defended a pornographer? One making porn with race mixing! Actually I can believe those ACLU deviants even fight to strike down legislation that keeps immoral gays from marrying each other! Its almost like the ACLU wants to look like they look for cases that test constitutional and human rights in this country to safeguard against future abuses, but we know better they just wanna get brownie points for losing the most pathetic blue blood squirting from their epithetic hearts.
We’ve gone too soft, I mean, prison is for punishment only, and not just the punishment of the inmate but their families and everyone associated with them. Its well known that every inmate can choose to be incarcerated in a facility within driving distance of all their relatives, why would they need cell phones.
And giving inmates incentives to keep up good behavior is bollucks, I mean if we make them do hard labor all day, and lock them up all night in complete darkness there’s NO way that they will exit jail worst off than when they went in.
I mean bad people lose their rights to be people. We as good people can judge them … well not you Monica… there’s a gentleman from Iran that would like to speak to you about some of your girl on girl videos..and he brought his pet rock! He must want you to sign it.
Jerry…you seriously think they don’t stroke their dicks in front of each other? Really? I have been told by more than one person that it’s VERY common to see guys with tattoos of naked girls on their bodies posing for guys so they can jerk off to them.
of course we want them to be better when they get out but let’s be fucking realistic…a HUGE majority of them won’t be. They go right back to the same friends, the same neighborhoods and the same way of life. Why the fuck should someone who rapes or molests a child have one fucking thing other than pain and discomfort? Here in Florida we have Jessica’s law which is a mandatory 25 years for any physical crime against a child under the age of 12, yet California and a handful of other states refuse to enact it…one of the biggest opponents of mandatory minimum sentences is Nancy Pelosi. Where in anyone conscience could they NOT want to put some piece of shit who raped a kid away forever? And I understand the role the ACLU plays in many things and I do believe that their original purpose was a good one. However, anyone who takes the side of worrying about some piece of shit who hurts children or old people I have absolutely no use for. They defeat all their good with just that one thing.
And why should a fucking inmate have any fucking choice where he is incarcerated? When someone decides to murder or rob or molest or be a dope dealer they should consider the affect it will have on their families when they get caught and go to prison.
And yes, when you commit sinister acts upon the helpless you are no longer a person with ANY rights other than to be fed and a place to shit. I don’t care what you say but if it happened to you or someone YOU love your tune would change dramatically. Let’s just hope that doesn’t happen!
I think your view on the ACLU is shortsighted to say the least, as well as your idea of corrections and the prison system.
Prisons are not the vacum that people wish them to be , they are facilites with inmates that are there for life, some there for year some for months, not to mention the staff, officers, medical personal and administrative staff that work closely with inmates everyday. Creating a environment where there is no hope, no rehabilitation and no help puts everyone in danger. As well as creates an environment where criminals are more likely to commit crime more violent than what landed them in jail in the first place.
Incarceration isn’t the end game of conviction its the beginning.
While its convient to dehumanize “the bad people” you have to remember that to someone, no matter who you are or what you’ve done in life, you’re the bad person.
One of the reasons prisoners go back to their evil ways is that they’re not provided with any or many alternatives. It’s bad enough for a former porn star to get a real job if they’re known (what do they put on their job application for “special skills”?). What about convicts? If they can’t be rehabilitated, then let them stay in there, but they should be offered means to do something constructive while locked up, and have options once they are free.
i agree with mariah to an extent, inmates loose most “human rights” when they commit an act deemed illegal in the society in which they live.
had the villain not crossed the rules, they would live a free person with all the privileges society has to offer.
in my opinion, prison itself should be a deterrent for potential criminals. meaning “i dont want to go to prison and therefore i will not commit a crime”.
the correctional part should be secondary purpose of prison. i mean who is afraid of going to prison if you get 3 good meals, fun games and sports, free tv and internet and a warm bed? this sounds way to appealing to me.
no outside contact other than family visits.
hard work/labor/
no sports activities or other “fun game activities”
tv hour after meals showing news channel only.
food should be very basic, yet nutritious.
there should however be a possibility to read books, take classes in basic reading, math etc.
mariah, if this experience creeped you out, some prisons have actual shower stalls, just imagine an inmate wants to shower, and pulls back the shower curtain and there, afixed to the wall is a picture of you from a nudie shoot, that the previous inmate just jerked off to you.
I need to point out that I am not altogether against all liberal ideas. I have many that I agree with, but worrying about the comfort of people in prison just is NOT one of them. When you do things illegally, ESPECIALLY when it involves harming another person and even more so children, there should be very little consideration into your well being and quality of life.
I mean really…cell phones? internet with full access to porn sites? cable tv?
Since all of this is being funded by tax dollars how about we as a society get to vote on the comforts that prisoners get. Whatya think the results of that vote would be? I understand all the concerns for rehabilitating and them not having a shot when they get out, well boo fucking hoo. Don’t do the crime and none of that shit will matter.
Even with the liberal prison system we have in place that teaches inmates a new trade (to give them a better chance at survival in the real world) the vast majority of inmates that get out on parole still end up back what they are doing and back in prison.
Everyone makes a mistake and we all fuck up some times and deserve a second chance to be a useful member of society. There is not a single adult person in the world that has not fucked up at one time or another and would love to go back and fix that mistake. The inmates that have been in and out of prison all their lives have had their second, third, fourth, etc… chances.
When someone continually gets convicted of violent crimes its time to put them in prison for the rest of their lives and keep them away from society and innocent victims. How many times do we see a rapist or murderer get caught and they have a rap sheet a mile long?
These guys are animals and they will never stop being an animal and preying on the weak and innocent. Rewarding them with great benefits (cable TV, Medical and dental, cell phones, internet access, 3 hot meals a day, etc…) while they are in prison waiting til their next time to get out and do it again is just plain stupid.
There are a lot of things to take into consideration:
1. Many inmates are wrongly convicted. Often times, one will plea bargain because they are not confident in their defense and fear a much worse sentence.
According to the London Times: George W. Bush, Dick Cheney and Donald Rumsfeld covered up that hundreds of innocent men were sent to the Guantánamo Bay prison camp because they feared that releasing them would harm the push for war in Iraq and the broader War on Terror.
2. There are roughly one million non-violent prisoners. Roughly half of all prisoners are doing time for non-violent crimes.
3. The entire prison population exceeds the combined populations of Alaska, North Dakota and Wyoming. Are there that many bad people, or is the society bad? Between 1978 and 1998 the prison population in America tripled.
4. Most criminals are minorities. Are minorities more likely to be bad people or is it because of the lack of opportunities that lead to bad behavior, as well as more cops in those areas to bust more people? In the 1930s 75% of prisoners were white.
5. Women are the fastest growing and least violent prisoners.
6. Evidence exists which proves this country secretly and illegally traffics in huge amounts of coke and heroin and distributes them to various gangs. Drug trafficing, as also discussed in Nancy Bank’s book on AIDS is one of the main foundations of American Empire. It’s big money which is big power. War, disease and incarceration are big rackets and we should set drug offenders free since it’s been proven this country traffics in drugs as part of a big game.
7. Many are repeat offenders and return to prison. The best way to deter that is not so much the harshness of the sentence but the rehabilitation and opportunities once they get out.
8. Some are in jail because they did what they believe is right. They may have hypothetically beaten a man to near death for mugging his wife or sister. Even Martin Luther King has been in prison so the notion that you’re automatically a bad person because you’re locked up is obsenely stupid.
9. Since 1990, the literature has shown that prisoners who attend educational programs while they are incarcerated are less likely to return to prison following their release. Studies in several states have indicated that recidivism rates have declined where inmates have received an appropriate education. Furthermore, the right kind of educational program leads to less violence by inmates involved in the programs and a more positive prison environment. Effective Education Programs are those that help prisoners with their social skills, artistic development and techniques and strategies to help them deal with their emotions. In addition, these programs emphasize academic, vocational and social education. Inmates who earned a diploma returned to prison custody at a significantly lower rate (26.4%) than those inmates who did not earn a degree (44.6%).
Prison can actually provide opportunities not readily available out on the street.
We can’t afford all that for the inmates when all our money is spent invading other countries all in the name of fighting terrorism. However Jeremy makes quite a few good points that I can agree with.
Prisoners that are there for writing bad checks or buying drugs (and have no history of violence) should be in a minimum security prison and maybe have some rights like were mentioned by Mariah.
However we are more talking about violent criminals with a long rap sheet and are a very real danger to society. A guy with many violent offences of rape, murder, and such is NOT going to be rehabilitated and never going to be anything but a thug. These dudes need to be locked up and throw the key away and never be let out to prey on more innocent people.
Spending money to rehabilitate first offenders that are not violent is one thing, throwing away money on human monsters is another.
Come on Jerry…do you really believe that “a lot” of inmates are wrongly convicted?
I don’t assume all people in jail are bad people, but does that mean they should have fucking cell phones and porn and cable tv? Many of them have more things in jail than they do on the streets…to me that isn’t right.
I have no issue with people who are not violent offenders being given more leniency and access to privileges but that wasn’t the point of the article. I am talking about a guy who invaded someone’s home with a gun and robbed them. That could have gone very badly and someone could have been killed, but I guarantee those people who’s home he invaded will never feel safe again in their homes for the rest of their lives. But he’s got porn, a cell phone and cable tv and conjugal visitation. Totally fucked up in my opinion. He should have NOTHING but food and shelter and 14 hour intense labor work days.
I think a lot are wrongly convicted, yes. How many? It’s hard to say. Like I said, it sounds like club fed in there for some. Overall, I think prisons are still medieval and should focus on rehabing not just confining and punishing people.
Those who have done worse acts should definitely have less privileges.
But you never know. You could end up killing someone if they tried to do the same to you or a loved one. Once you’re locked up, you’re all the same to them. They don’t give a fuck about your story. It’s been an extremely bigoted type of atmosphere in the past and since prisons hold so many millions (a ridiculous amount) and since we’re all little turds in this sewer system called society (considering the corporate corruption which is not technically illegal but is ruining this country) we should all have a little compassion for most who are locked up in a little cage for however how long.
Mariah needs to learn to say in 300-400 words what is now taking 1,100+. The average reader is not making it to the end. Just saying.
sorry – point 9 i forgot to mention i plucked out of somewhere… in case you couldn’t tell.
I dont think ppl should go to prison for drugs.. in fact I think drugs should be legal and taxed.. it would cut down on crime, and also boost our economy, less people would be in prison which also means more my tax paying dollars should go some place else..
as someone who lives in AZ, dont ever say Joe is right on anything, he makes the guys wear pink underwear just to degrade them, he s one of the biggest assholes ever around. He d be the type to jerk off to your porn yet try to get u arrested saying its obscene or some thing like that..
drugs like cigarettes should be legal but discouraged… the biggest killers are legal… heroin though… the problem with that one is more complicated.. hollywood would turn into a real life “night of the zombies”, including at daytime… which reminds me of a really bad low budget zombie movie i saw as a kid.. i’m pretty sure it was called “night of the zombies” but the entire movie was during the daytime…
I can not believe some of the logic from above. Half of prisoners are non violent. Many innocent and plea bargained. Saying that 45% return without that outstanding program that can’t cut that number in half doesn’t make your case. And who takes a plea when there is no evidence for conviction. The government, Iraq, please. There are bad people out here and we need to get them out off the streets.
Bernie Madoff is just another non violent bad check writer. Someone grabs 100 DVDs from a store and runs off. Non violent, yes? These are crimes. Many first time offenders are really first time caught.
Make drugs legal? What does that solve. You still have people committing crimes to pay for the drugs. Tax it like tobacco? Tobacco has their own underground trafficking because of taxing.
I don’t think the cable in the cell is such a bad thing. Control the content to positive and educational. History, culture, documentaries. Stuff that keeps inmates calm and not induce a violent atmosphere in the institution. Internet the same way. If an inmate wants to learn about a particular subject or topic an prison librarian selects the sites for them.
It is a privilege to live in a free society. When you violate the laws you give up some as your punishment.
again, you’re getting off topic. This wasn’t written about non-violent or drug offenders. I don’t think drug possession for personal use should be a criminal offense either.
I am talking about a violent criminal having a fucking cell phone and access for 3 hours a day to internet porn and cable tv. This sin’t a guy who was coming off a crack binge and ran out of money so he stuck up a 7 11…this is a guy who kicked in someone’s front door while they were inside, and robbed them at gun point. Imagine the life-long affect that is going to have on those people. Does that mean less to you liberals than the poor guys in jail?
So fucking what if Sheriff Joe makes them wear pink…did you know his jails have less than half of the inmate violence than the average jails the same size? They also have pink walls in their cells. So fucking what if they are made to wear pink. They live there..it’s no secret what the jail is like in Phoenix but they commit the crimes anyway and that’s the risk they knowingly take.
I sleep with a Glock 40 next to my bed as well as a pistol handled 12 gauge propped against my headboard. If anyone comes into my house they have a VERY just punishment coming to them. Now I am going to assume that some of you guys are going to say that shouldn’t be legal for me? I live in a state where I was able to get a concealed weapons permit and I carry a .38 in my purse and have a 9mm in my glove. I have had too many scary moments with people to not protect myself. I have yet to pull them on anyone, but I certainly feel better knowing they are there. So go ahead, shit on me for packing the heat lol
Stop bringing up the war, the federal prison system and the conspiracy theories and address the issue of violent criminals having these luxuries.
In your line of work scary crazy fans/serial killers is definately a concern. You can’t count on the police to protect you. They only show up to clean up the mess and maybe catch the bad guy after the bad things have already happened to you. You don’t wanna end up like Savannah Gold…
Before you get blasted for owning legal and licensed firearms let me say this. I live in a state that allows this also. I don’t own one. I don’t feel the need to own one. That being said, If you were my neighbor I wouldn’t think anything of it.
A home invasion is such a violent crime that the victim feels the need to move out of the security of their home. After that they will never feel safe. Liberals, let’s talk about emotional distress. Show your side of the victim and their distress. What should we do to assimilate them back into society? At worst 3 out of 4 will repeat. At best 1 out of 4 come back after cable, Internet, cell phones congregate visitations, and education. Just to let these criminals back into the streets sooner. Prison is to punish as well as to rehabilitate.
Bobjustbob
everyone should read “how to make friends and influence people” by Dale Carnegie
this book has a lot of insight into basic human nature, there is a really good chapter on “bad people”.
bad people come from tainted dna and from bad learning or perhaps no learning (how people are raised by their parents is the second biggest influence on a persons character, dna is the first)
That’s “How to win friends and influence people”. Don’t forget “Think and grow rich”, “The success system that never fails”, “The biggest secret”, and todays “the secret”. I was introduced to all those earlier books before Tony Robbins ever came around. I wonder how many readers of these motivational books went on to be millionaires? When I was 15, my dad used to take me to listen to a pre-Robbins, Texas hick named James Tolleson his “Sucess Education” courses and “Do it now!” rallies. It was always funny to hear him say “That funny french word, ‘Entrepreneur'” with his accent. He was right about the prediction that that word would become a household word in the materialistic 80s.
Hi Mariah…Just saw this about charles manson…thought you’d enjoy it!
http://www.nbclosangeles.com/news/weird/Cell-Phone-Charles-Manson-Busted-with-a-Mobile-111256244.html?dr
as you can see for yourselves there is no punishment for having a cell phone in prison and it says nearly 9000 cell phones have been found this year and the # is increasing.
I am just amazed at the sympathy shown to people in prison especially those who commit such heinous crimes.
I just thought of a good question for you….what about the ones who aren’t getting out? Since there is now worry of rehabilitation do you think THEY should get any type of privileges or things like internet or cell phones or cable?
Prison isn’t meant to be a place of creature comforts so no to television, cell phones, and computers. Those desirous of entertainment and knowledge should bury their heads in books.
Likewise, the American inmate population is a largely untapped economic resource; I work for a living so why shouldn’t they? Perhaps a properly trained/equipped prison workforce could lure back the manufacturers who left the US with the onset of NAFTA.
I joined the Army to earn education dollars and find it patently offensive that taxpayers finance undergrad and graduate degrees for many serving sentences of life without parole. I’d rather see those funds used for A) scholarships for low income individuals (youth, single parents, et al) and B) educational/technical programs for inmates transitioning back into society.
In every courtroom there is some depction of ‘Lady Justice’ In one hand she holds the scales of justice, a symbol of fair treatment. In the other hand she holds a sword, a symbol of swift justice.
Nowhere does she have any books, tv’s, or cellphones, or anything that represents rehabiltiation.
Prison should be made as ugly as possible for inmates, and if that doesnt prevent them from committing more crime when they get out then they probably shoudnt have been let out in the first place.
The security threat alone from prisoners having cellphones is enough to keep them banned. Imagine if prisoners had cellphones, how they could commiunicate within the prison and put other inmates and the prison employees in danger, not ot mention continue to run their criminal activities outside the prison.
who woulda thunk it? Joe you and I on the same page? 🙂
thank you all for the input…even those who differ from my point of view…that’s what makes debate interesting, no? 🙂
I just got another inmate request so i thought I’d share it with you.
This is a system generated message informing you that the above-named person is a federal prisoner who seeks to add you to his/her contact list for exchanging electronic messages. There is no message from the prisoner at this time.
You can ACCEPT this prisoner’s request or BLOCK this individual or all federal prisoners from contacting you via electronic messaging at http://www.corrlinks.com. To register with CorrLinks you must enter the email address that received this notice along with the identification code below.
Email Address: booking@mariahxxx.net
Identification Code: 546duy48
This identification code will expire in 10 days.
By approving electronic correspondence with federal prisoners, you consent to have the Bureau of Prisons staff monitor the content of all electronic messages exchanged.
Once you have registered with CorrLinks and approved the prisoner for correspondence, the prisoner will be notified electronically.
For additional information related to this program, please visit the http://www.bop.gov/inmate_programs/trulincs_faq.jsp FAQ page.