Mariah Milano on Prisoners & Internet Access
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.

MARIAHXXX.Net

Wow, this is interesting. I did not think that any prisoner was allowed a cell. And I knew they had Internet, but did not think that it was up to three hours daily and not closely monitored. That is very surprising.

The question is WHY should prisoners be allowed access to the internet? What BENEFIT does that serve anybody?

Quote :

Most state and federal jails or prisons have their own rules as to what mail is prohibited. The Supreme Court of the United States has held that inmates have a limited constitutional right to receive and read material originated outside the prison. Thornburgh v. Abbott, 490 U.S. 401, 104 L. Ed. 2d 459, 109 S. Ct. 1874 (1989). In Thournburgh, the Supreme Court held that rules regarding publications received by inmates are valid if they are reasonably related to legitimate penelogical interest. The Supreme Court established the following four-factor test to determine whether a prison regulation meets this test: "(1) whether a valid, rational connection exists between the regulation and a legitimate governmental interest; (2) whether the prisoner has available alternative means of exercising the right in question; (3) whether accommodation of the asserted right will have negative effects on guards, inmates or prison resources; and (4) whether there are obvious, easy alternatives at a minimal cost."

Does Internet access to porn really fall under these conditions?

Supernova wrote:

The question is WHY should prisoners be allowed access to the internet? What BENEFIT does that serve anybody?

As a reward for decent behavior, I guess.

I've felt for a long time that prisoners have too many rights. I don't see a need for inmates to have unmonitored access to the Internet. I can see giving them limited access to things like e-mail once a week or so, but they're in prison for a reason.

Cable TV? Internet? Pensions in many cases? Good to know my tax dollars are supporting free Internet and cable TV for people who have violated the rights of others. Prisoners seem to have it pretty good.