OMFG THANK YOU!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I have been saying this for years!!!!!!!! Don't you hate it when you go to prison for murder and your free throw still needs work???? If it were my way they wouldn't be let out. Not even for meals. The food would be brought to them. Most escapes and escape attempts happen when they are allowed out to "do stuff" like recreation time. And if they had to be left in their cells and never be let out they would actually FEAR the punishment and I believe crime would go down. Right now people commit crimes cos of the luxeries they get ON MY TAX DOLLARS. If they didn't have those things they would try to make an honest living upon release and.... again, crime would be down. That's why it is called hard time and not super, happy, crazy, fun time. Can't do the time, don't do the crime.

No. not at all. i believe that they should be thrown in their cells and do their time, and the only thing they should get is 3 meals a day and a toilet. they did the crime so they should do the time, not a vacation. come on i know this guy who actully WANTS to go to prison to get buff using the equipment there. so stupid why provide equipment that can make them stronger than the gaurds. good question i was actully thinking this

Hmm, I'm kind of torn. I believe if we just threw the criminals in a cell with nothing but a toilet and 3 meals a day,no recreation & no socializing, that it would be cruel and unusual punishment. I believe criminals should do their time and pay for what they did and I'm just thankful they're locked up and not out with the rest of society. Even though they do have tv, weight equipment and what not they're still not free. They have limited options and if they misbehave it can all be taken away; I don't think that compares to the real world- where we have freedom of choice.

I think it's outrageous that prisoners get such benefits. Some actually have a better life inside than on the streets. see: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Joe_Arpaio

well if i were a prisoner I'd be stoked. You mean I can lay in bed all day and watch tv? That's so awesome!

Have we forgotten that it is PRISON...not sleep away camp? Prison is not supposed to be comfortable or pleasant. Sheesh. I don't get people who think that denying Prisoners internet access, a brand new Bow Flex machine, and movie night constitutes "cruel and unusual punishment" IT'S PRISON, for f**ks sake!

Well we all have rights and honestly they have more rights being in there than we do being outside...but to answer your question, it doesn't matter how many priviladge we do have we always want the ones we don't have, they might be able to call someone (and not all the times trust me)but you still miss seing the person, huging the person, plus I have talk to few person that went to jail for a long periods of time...and they are not well, the elevator does not reach or stop at the top level if you know what I mean, its something about being lock up that does it....at the moment you don't think about it, but it sinks in later on...we don't appreciate FREEDOM until its taken away.

Depends on their crime. Some deserve solitary forever. Some just spit into the wind and our tweaked system threw them in prison, or smoked hemp, etc and so on. You can't just use a broad brush when talking about prison populations.

The penal system is a joke and not a funny one. They are nothing but holding tanks where many get to stay between crimes and instruct the up and comers. The day will come where the monies to maintain these holding pens will become a major issue. As to your question TV's and phones are a small factor in the overall problem. How many crimes do think would be prevented by removing either of these? The basic idea of providing such items as these is to be fillers of time as in an idle mind is the devils workshop. I understand where your are coming from and I'll admit I don't have the answers.

I worked in jail. Trust me, it is not "just like home". Most of these people are cut off from family and friends, the life they live. You take for granted being able to walk down the street, buying a lunch, going out with your friends... Being in jail means living in a hostile environment with dangerous people who may turn violent on you at any moment for any reason. Not a nice way to live, even if you have done something wrong.. Try locking yourself in a room with a bed and toilet for months on end with your every movement controlled..Tell me if that is "getting all the same stuff as everyone else" I am not saying that someone in jail may not deserve to be there. It may be the best thing for everyone. However, most people in jail eventually get out. Should they go back into a world where they have no idea what is up or forced to lose all their friends and family because they are not allowed contact? I knew one guy that got out of jail after years inside. He had NO idea what a debit card or banking machine was. He had no idea how to cope in the world. Going to jail is like being put on another planet for a certain amoung of time, than thrown back into society and told, hey, cope, but things have changed. Figure it out.. For the record, I have never been in jail, but have worked in one. It is not what you think it is. Trust me, if you had to go there, you would not like it...

I dont think they should have it. Why do they need satellite, we have had prisoners for hundreds of years that did just fine without Satellite. If they didnt want the restrictions of prison, they shouldnt have committed the crime. I think they should be forced to work to pay for their time in prison, that would keep them busy.

They should have no time for such considerations! Right after sentencing they should be placed upon a table and harvested for usable organs to keep good people alive! This is the only possibility they can have to replace a life they have taken! If they are diseased or noncompatible because of genetic makeup they should have to work 15 hour days, 7 days a week to reimburse the public for the massive expense they have triggered!

i think prison should FEEL like prison, not a stay at a 2 star hotel

yup...we spend more a day ont he average prisoner than we do onthe average public school student. We ensure 3 meals a day for prisoners when many children go to school hungey or the only meal they get is the one at school. We offer classes and education to prisoners which many use to learn how to beat the system or manufacture drugs. We allow them computer and television access when many schools do not have proper televisions, computers or books to properly educate them. being the conspiracy theorist I am, I might deduce that they are preparing our kids to fail in schools just so a percentage can enter into the penal system. I think we ought to spend less on prisoners, and what we do spend should be used for rehabilitation, not recreation.

It should be about protection of the innocent, not torture of those who have made a mistake.

Personally, I'm of the opinion the chain gangs of yesterday should be brought back... in moderation. I'm not a proponent of downright cruelty, but in my personal opinion, they should have to work to pay off the debt incurred in the whole judicial process. As far as satellite TV and phone priviledges... I think they should be allowed contact with their family, but that's it. No friends, nobody beyond their immediate family. The television... perhaps, for good behaviour, an hour or two a day - but only for good behaviour. This is for rehabilitation, not (as someone else suggested) just to protect the innocent. Yes, the second is important too, it's actually more important, but it's not the purpose of prison. If that were the only purpose, then execution would be the way to go. Those in prison, though, are going to be returned to the public at some point, whether reformed or not. Let's do our best to make sure they are - and to make sure they're as little burden on the public as possible while they're there.

The point of them going to prison is keeping them away from the rest of society because they are dangerous. It's kind of sadistic that they ought to be punished in prison too, I mean they are already locked up away from me, which is what's most important. They aren't going to be killing anybody by watching TV.

Being in a prison cell, whether allowed out for part of the day for recreation or whatever, could hardly be equated to normal living where you can choose who you live, eat and interact with. Rehabilitation of inmates and protection of the general community should be the aim but of course this is not always the case. One of the reasons for a perception that prison is an "easy ride" also comes from cases like this one in New Zealand. *Inmates in our most secure prison are accused of making fortunes from a highly organised drug ring run from behind bars, with at least one alleged to have become a millionaire. Police documents claim the prisoners ran their methamphetamine importing and manufacturing ring from Auckland Maximum Security Prison at Paremoremo under the noses of - and sometimes with the assistance of - prison officers. Two investigations completed over 18 months allowed police to plot relationships they believe sustain a major criminal network. One sworn affidavit states Pulete "uses prison staff to facilitate the movement of drugs and cellphones into and out of prison". Police say a cellphone alleged to belong to Pulete was used to make and receive almost 600 calls between May 14, 2007 and July 2, 2007. They say the same phone was used to send and receive more than 3800 text messages between June 8, 2007 and July 21, 2007. Police allege Pulete used prayer sessions of his adopted Islamic faith as a cover to make the calls and send messages. Unbelievable and people have a right to be angry. The thing is, it's also exceptional, that's why it creates huge headlines. For every bastard like this, there are thousands of prisoners trying to do their time, get out of there, and hopefully never go back.

Absolutely right. In a lot of cases nowadays, people in lower socio-economic groups are committing crimes, then going to jail in better conditions than they were in before. It just doesn't make sense.

Loss of freedom. Ever tried it? Ever had to face it? It sucks, even with satellite TV and phone privileges.

I don't mind them having those things if they are in jail for minor crimes (misdemeanor). I Know that if I were in jail, I'd certainly want those things too. So, I believe we should do on to others as we expect done to us. However, if they are in jail for big time crimes (Felony) then I believe they should be much more restricted. Things such as TV should only be rewards for those who have been on long term good behavior while in jail. (4yrs or more of proven good behavior or genuine altruism towards other inmates)

Isolating itself is the worst form of punishment and the tarnish of having being sentenced will scar the rest of their lives as well...smaller priveleges which is no consolation to the above anyway can be allowed!