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This allows various crime overlords to stay in power by ordering underlings outside to do their bidding. There's a good reason why phones are not allowed in pri

by cbg0 5y ago

This allows various crime overlords to stay in power by ordering underlings outside to do their bidding. There's a good reason why phones are not allowed in prison and why phone calls to the outside are monitored, otherwise it would just be a vacation home you can't leave.

burkaman 5y ago
That's true, but it also allows human beings to stay in touch with reality, their families, an outside world that they're eventually going to reenter. Cutting off communication would be a disaster for people inside and outside prison - it would increase recidivism, increase suicide, break up families, mentally destroy prisoners, and likely increase crime overall. It's a terrible idea. I also don't think phone calls are the only thing separating prison from a vacation home.
- cbg0 5y ago
  Nobody in this thread mentioned cutting off communication, aside from you. One poster mentioned they worked on a "device to block cell phone usage in prisons".
  - burkaman 5y ago
    The thread was a story about inmates communicating to people outside prison, then someone saying "I am always shocked to learn just how porous prisons are and why nothing seems to be done about that." I interpreted that as "why isn't anything done about inmates being able to talk to people outside", but I could be wrong.
    - ungamedplayer 5y ago
      I took that as the a ability to get prohibited items into prison.
      - hyperhopper 5y ago
        This is what happens when hackernews commenters try to flex their vocabulary instead of just spelling out what they mean like a normal person.
yellowapple 5y ago
> This allows various crime overlords to stay in power by ordering underlings outside to do their bidding. Then, at the absolute most, those specific crime overlords should be restricted in their ability to communicate with underlings outside. The other prisoners certainly shouldn't be punished for that.
- waste_monk 5y ago
  What's to stop the overlord from having one of their underlings pass messages on their behalf, or even to pick a random "trusted" (as far as personal phone usage goes) prisoner in the yard and threaten to have them beaten (or killed, or raped) if they don't act as a communications mule? Give the prisoners communication with their family/friends, sure, but make it supervised personal visitation or actively monitored (also recorded and if necessary censored) phone calls, not mobile phones. Prisons only work because of force AND information asymmetry between the guards and the inmates, so allowing unsupervised personal communications is actively dangerous and counterproductive. It's not just organising crime outside outside of the prison or arranging the import of drugs and luxury goods, it's also the dangers of planning a riot, plotting an escape attempt, organising attacks on guards or rival prison gangs, and so on.

by cbg0 5y ago

burkaman 5y ago

That's true, but it also allows human beings to stay in touch with reality, their families, an outside world that they're eventually going to reenter. Cutting off communication would be a disaster for people inside and outside prison - it would increase recidivism, increase suicide, break up families, mentally destroy prisoners, and likely increase crime overall. It's a terrible idea. I also don't think phone calls are the only thing separating prison from a vacation home.

cbg0 5y ago
Nobody in this thread mentioned cutting off communication, aside from you. One poster mentioned they worked on a "device to block cell phone usage in prisons".
- burkaman 5y ago
  The thread was a story about inmates communicating to people outside prison, then someone saying "I am always shocked to learn just how porous prisons are and why nothing seems to be done about that." I interpreted that as "why isn't anything done about inmates being able to talk to people outside", but I could be wrong.
  - ungamedplayer 5y ago
    I took that as the a ability to get prohibited items into prison.
    - hyperhopper 5y ago
      This is what happens when hackernews commenters try to flex their vocabulary instead of just spelling out what they mean like a normal person.

yellowapple 5y ago

> This allows various crime overlords to stay in power by ordering underlings outside to do their bidding. Then, at the absolute most, those specific crime overlords should be restricted in their ability to communicate with underlings outside. The other prisoners certainly shouldn't be punished for that.

waste_monk 5y ago
What's to stop the overlord from having one of their underlings pass messages on their behalf, or even to pick a random "trusted" (as far as personal phone usage goes) prisoner in the yard and threaten to have them beaten (or killed, or raped) if they don't act as a communications mule? Give the prisoners communication with their family/friends, sure, but make it supervised personal visitation or actively monitored (also recorded and if necessary censored) phone calls, not mobile phones. Prisons only work because of force AND information asymmetry between the guards and the inmates, so allowing unsupervised personal communications is actively dangerous and counterproductive. It's not just organising crime outside outside of the prison or arranging the import of drugs and luxury goods, it's also the dangers of planning a riot, plotting an escape attempt, organising attacks on guards or rival prison gangs, and so on.