Anywho, there are numerous threads here on this very subject....heres a twist on it.....county jails. The majority of people housed in them are only awaiting trial and havent been convicted. Explain to me why they are held in worse conditions than a state prisoner, already convicted would.....and I no care about a budget, we're supposed to be innocent til proven guilty here.

Well as a law enforcement/law enforcement officer here in the state I live in u was told in the prison I was tld it is about money. Each state run prison us given money to run that prison for each fiscal year n let's say u have 10,000 inmates n it cost the system 40 dollars a day to clothe house n feed one inmate then multiply that by 10,000 n that sets there budget for the next fiscal year! That is why they r catering to the inmates it is all about money! N no I do not agree with what was asked at the beginning of this forum if you go to prison u should pay for ur crimes accordingly ! N walks on ur question i cannot answer that one!

@WalkSoftly: our justice system is broken, bro. And getting worse. I don't think that going back to an older way of doing things is the answer as some have suggested. I think we need to be trying more progressive approaches to justice. But look at the way trials are portrayed in our media. They put you in the chair before the trial begins. There is no fair trial unless you can buy one. Welcome to the USA.

To me it comes down to something "simple". The question is "What rights and comforts are due to inmates in any prison in any country?" The severity of one's offense is a great factor. For major offenders I don't think they deserve the comforts such as cable TV, internet and other things. Lesser offenders who will be released do deserve some of these "tools" to be used in their rehabilitation, BUT under strict supervision. Now to allow them comforts like cable TV and internet for personal use? NO! Why allow them the creature comforts of a normal life when they most likely "victimized" someone innocent? You play you pay!

I would love to have their healthcare coverage. In my town if a bad storm hits. The jail gets its power and air on first. As far as prisoners bothering people when they ask for money and you say no, a funny thing happens they leave you alone. Can prisoners use google? I hope not, but im sure the answer is yes. People should google themselves. Right there in black and white your name and address. Private info like that should not be allowed.

Unfortanetly if a prisoner has full access to the Internet then they have access to search engines such as google.

@2Hot4U2Handle: Is it not like they more rights after being convicted than their victim had in the first place?

I thought this forum was about prisons and not local jails. I am speaking about prisons not local jails where people are awaiting trials.

IMO... A pencil and paper is too much to give them

In the state I live, prison inmates are only allowed access to the internet for email. The person they are emailing must be on their approved list of contacts and the contents of the email are reviewed before they are forwarded to the recepient just like paper mail is. They are only allowed to use this when it is their designated time just as with phone calls. There is no cablevision, just local television which is also on at assigned times of day. Inmates also have a custody status that is determined by "points". Each inmate must also hold a job in which they make up to 30 cents hour. The goal is to rehabilitate and prevent them from reoffending.