Poll: Should those in prison or jail be allowed to have MP3 players to listen to music? / LJWorld.com

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Response		Percent	Votes
No		62%	456
Yes		37%	271
Total	727

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CreatureComforts 1 year, 3 months ago

I've got a great way to listen to all the MP3s you want - don't commit a crime!

gphawk89 1 year, 3 months ago

Listening to all the MP3s you want could itself be a crime, depending on how you obtain those MP3s.

Liberty275 1 year, 3 months ago

I don't see a purpose behind forbidding such meager entertainment unless the inmate has shown he will abuse the privileged in some way. Such a rule seems little but spite.

Paul R. Getto 1 year, 3 months ago

del888 1 year, 3 months ago

When you are behind bars you should have NO special rights. If you want to be treated like a human you have to act like a human. When you commit a crime you should lose your rights.

Liberty275 1 year, 3 months ago

How would it be a special right? I referred to it as a privilege which might be taken away if abused. Granted, the people in the stripey hole are criminals by definition, but how much do we really need to take from them besides their freedom?

"When you commit a crime you should lose your rights"

No. You lose some rights if you are convicted, but not all.

kansasplains1 1 year, 3 months ago

I completely agree with Liberty275. Even behind bars, a person needs music. It can relax people, and it has contributed to much better behavior.

newmedia 1 year, 3 months ago

Rap?

gphawk89 1 year, 3 months ago

Good question. What about rap, or any other genre but generally rap, that glorifies rape, violence, murder etc.? The right kind of music can definitely relax people. The wrong kind can have just the opposite effect. And who would decide exactly what's right versus wrong? Light classical music might be soothing to many but irritate others.

radiohawk 1 year, 3 months ago

It hath charms to soothe the savage beast. Anything that keeps the jail population occupied and passive can't be too bad. I suspect the jailers might have to become involved with what is on each perps players, which will get mighty complicated. Mp3 players, however, are going to be coveted and the source of fights/theft within the jail population. Either everybody or nobody.

RoeDapple 1 year, 3 months ago

Damn! Where do I sign up?!!

vertigo 1 year, 3 months ago

Nice fantasy prison you have concocted there.

progressive_thinker 1 year, 3 months ago

The MP 3 player program currently in place at Kansas Deportment of Corrections correctional facilities allows inmates to purchase an MP 3 player that is made of clear plastic [so that it can be inspected for contraband], and which is set up so that it will only download music from music kiosks that are on facility grounds. All of this is done by way of a contract with a vendor [J-Pay]. The system is very secure,

KDOC collects a commission on each MP 3 player and accessory sold [these are sold through facility canteens], as well as a commission on each song sold. Proceeds go to pay for inmate programs such as education.

Providing inmates with a meaningful way to occupy their time is an important aspect of improving facility safety and security. As well, meaningful, pro social activities improve the inmate's chance of success upon release.

srj 1 year, 3 months ago

Thanks for the info. I say is a small perk for prisoners that behave.

progressive_thinker 1 year, 3 months ago

A detail that I forgot to mention. Possession of an MP 3 player is an earned privilege. To earn and keep the privilege, the inmate must participate in recommended programs and stay out of trouble. If an inmate refuses a program, refuses to work, or gets into any kind of serious trouble and the MP 3 player gets sent home.

Liberty275 1 year, 3 months ago

Sounds like a good implementation.

Liberty275 1 year, 3 months ago

Would you have to jailbreak it first?

jhawkinsf 1 year, 3 months ago

As was done in the movie Shawshank Redemption, just play an opera over the P.A. system. That would make everyone happy, right?

somedude20 1 year, 3 months ago

I am sure the music helps with all the romancing that goes on in there. Let them eat cake!

bad_dog 1 year, 3 months ago

Yes, but only if it's Bette Midler's " Wind Beneath My Wings", Starland Vocal Band's "Afternoon Delight" and Air Supply's "I'm All Out of Love" on a continuous loop.

Maybe throw in "Billy Don't be a Hero" by Paper Lace if they're really well behaved.

Katara 1 year, 3 months ago

Don't forget "The Girl from Ipanema".

Pastor_Bedtime 1 year, 3 months ago

To think that these poor inmates are being deprived of their constitutional right to FaceBook. Outrageous.

patkindle 1 year, 3 months ago

i think the nicer we make thier visit , the more they will enjoy it after all they are the guest of the state, they should make them feel welcomed, so they will want to visit again, right??

snap_pop_no_crackle 1 year, 3 months ago

Let 'em listen to anything they want while they're picking oakem.

camper 1 year, 3 months ago

Prison in Canada,

http://youtu.be/GJFLg7hchZw

pace 1 year, 3 months ago

Gee, the idea that incarceration is a free pass to torture and for the inhumane treatment of humans is so far right. Any excuse for some people At least we aren't talking about taking music away from rich white men who steal from elderly and banks. Such a nice chance for haters to rant.

KSense 1 year, 3 months ago

Not allowing mp3s or music doe.sn't exactly qualify as torturous or inhumane

pace 1 year, 3 months ago

So you are claiming the idea of some prisoners getting to listen to music is somehow justice personified. The idea of some guy earning the privileged of listening to music is repugnant. and wrong. It doesn't bother you or you don't know or understand if the average prisoner was some rich white banker or embezzling attorney it would be, should lap tops and manicures be allowed, heck most "white collars' don't even spend time, it is fine..

snap_pop_no_crackle 1 year, 3 months ago

pace has been into the hyperbole again.

pace 1 year, 3 months ago

sorry snap. but no, I am against the clamor of haters, that everyone in jail should not be treated as human.
"If you want to be treated like a human you have to act like a human. When you commit a crime you should lose your rights." one example of many.
If you want to pretend my remarks were out of the context of many of the comments, that is only because you like lying over reading..

KSense 1 year, 3 months ago

Not exactly sure what you meant one comment ago but i think you misunderstood me. My point is to not allow music or mp3s to ANY prisoner wouldn't qualify as torturous or inhumane.

pace 1 year, 3 months ago

You are saying that letting prisoners earn the right to play mp3s is wrong? I was responding to the comments that implied prisoners had lost the right to be treated as humans because of their convictions. The glee of some people fantasizing how they would deprive the "criminals" of basic comforts, made me a bit sick. We are cramming people into prisons, at an incredible cost to our country. Their guilt and sentence seems to be determined more by their race and economic class than by crime. You can steal 90,000 from an elderly woman and get your hand slapped , Too much corruption and "efficiency" in the justice system. I do believe some should be locked away for good, but some might be innocent. The justice system is almost as flawed as congress. I still am repulsed by the creeps who dream of punishing people incarcerated with no regard of reason, mostly driven by spite. Too much hate, not enough thinking it through.

brewmaster 1 year, 3 months ago

The day-to-day atmosphere, culture and schedule of jail / prison should be as structured, regimented and disciplined as military basic training. All inmates wear the same uniform. All inmates have the same buzz hair cut. No facial hair. No new tattoos. All inmates work. All inmates attend some sort of required training, education and counseling applicable for real world employment. There are no personal TV's, radios, phones, posters, decorations, etc., allowed in cells. No PC access other than during training classes. A standard issue small TV or radio may be earned for restricted use in a cell. However, all broadcasts are controlled-content.