Most prisoners avoid the TV common area, usually it's gang members watching something and you don't want to be around if some other gang decides to attack them.

Most prisoners avoid the TV common area, usually it's gang members watching something and you don't want to be around if some other gang decides to attack them. The libraries depend on the prison and are usually spartan with just law books and religious material, and magazines like National Geographic are considered contraband in some prisons. Radios they have in some state jails not sure about federal. You have to buy an approved radio that can't be taken apart to make any weapons or hide contraband in, and they are very expensive considering most prisoners make hardly anything, and sometimes are forbidden any income at all such as TDCJ.