Well, the article doesn't say anything about getting any actual games, so maybe that's the punishment. They only get to turn it on and watch the splash screen. Kinda like what I do with my PS3 now.

I bet a few PS2's for groups of inmates cost less than for example the physical exercise material they already purchase. The article says nothing at all about how these consoles will be used in prisons. It's a bit presumptious to say that they will end up in the hands of baby rapers.

So ... we give PS2s to prisoners becomes SOME of them MIGHT be innocent?

Um ... okay.

@myrmidon - DING DING DING!! You are winrar!

@Jim: "You" give PS2s to prisoners because jail (as wrong an institution as it is) is a punishment consisting in the deprivation of liberty, not in providing the worst possible life conditions to the inmate. You may very well not agree with my views, but I believe making jail harsher only drags minor offenders towards the bottom. And yes, capitalism is a bad thing in my book (communism is, too, don't worry ;) ). By the way, the drift of the UK towards the USA has a chapter of its own.

I'm not saying you should give presents like a PS2 to just all inmates. I do know that research has shown that harsher conditions and higher sentences do not lead to less crime, and that they also lead to more criminalization inside the prisons. While that is kinda a different story than this, you have to remember that prison is an institution to rehabilitate people to get back into society. Not primarily to just lock them away.

Now, this was about youth offenders. They often don't even know wtf they are doing. I will never defend any young guy that thinks he has the right to shoot people or rape someone. And whatever the reason is for their criminal behavior, that is not relevant here. There are however programs in which people in prison can work to get small "rewards". Think of it as positive reinforcement. In many cases, this works better than negative reinforcement. They could use the ps2's to lure youths into better behavior so they can play ps2 if they behave. Or they can lose their ps2 privilages if they get into a fight. Losing something like that can be more of an incentive than having some guy tell you what to do and how to act.

Now, all this shit is ofcourse "could be" and "might be" but since the article doesn't state anyhting, I don't see any reason to cling to the alternative of "they just give ps2's to Criminals". There are programs with reward incentives out there that have worked on certain types of low-key criminal youths. Whether the incentive is a PS2 or yard-time, is the same to me. If it turns out that they just hand over boxes to prisons that don't have any kind of program, well then I agree that is absolutely idiotic.

Consoles are absolutely a luxury, no objection. Maybe someone thought it's better to have a young offender avidly playing videogames than having him fighting, cutting himself or sinffing glue with a pile of books sitting on a shelf in their cellophane.

Education should be the primary objective of juvenile detention, and education through harshness only makes the subject a worse person and gives the "educator" a false sense of temporary domination. It's the same with dogs. ;)

All this said, I must admit you have a point nevertheless. But consider you're dealing with kids and you want (at least hope) to make them better persons, not to train them for future convictions.

Xenon:If someone thought that, then they shouldn't be dealing with the sector of governing. Allowing an offender to just sit there and play videogames isn't going to help them in the long run. They'll just think prison isn't so bad after all. And yes, in a way, prison should NEVER be a pleasant place to be. Prison should, first and foremost, act as a detterent, and if there are free PS2s inside them, I don't think that does a good job of making jail the fearsome prospect it should be.

As I said, if you want to help these people while at the same time keeping them occupied, then give them books. Let them read. Educate them. Also, give them work to do, like the American jails that have them build roads, earn money, be self sufficient.

My views of prisoners is harsh, but there are many positive things you can do with them. Giving them PlayStations to play with isn't one of them.

It’s okay, Jim. Sounds like our old mother country is turning you into a tired, poor, huddled mass yearning to be free. Hop across the pond to the Big Apple; we’ll take you in with open arms. You + Leigh + me (+ other NYC Destructoid editors...are there any?) in Manhattan = gaming through the wee hours of the morning.