Prisoners want DSTV in their cells

[goFLY]

A group of prisoners at Durban's Westville Prison, bored with the television they are allowed to watch, have applied to have DStv installed in their cells.

A prison official, who asked not to be named, said 12 inmates of Westville's Medium B section put in a formal request to have the digital channels late last month.

"They said they would pool money to pay for the subscription - and had the support of other inmates," he said.

The application comes after religious organisations earlier this year applying to install their Christian and learning channels free in prisons to help rehabilitate prisoners.


God TV's Siona Wewitz said the channel had been installed at Pollsmoor and several other prisons.

Prison officials said they would not consider allowing normal DStv channels, but were meeting religious groups, including the Prison Broadcasting Ministries, to thrash out how the religious and learning channels would work.

KwaZulu-Natal Correctional Services spokesperson Thami Zondi said his department would oppose the DStv application. "Our aim is to rehabilitate offenders, not allow them to view Movie Magic and adult movies.

"Offenders must concentrate on their rehabilitation programmes so they can get parole, then go out and watch whatever they like," he said.

Dennis Bloem, chairperson of parliament's correctional services portfolio committee, said prisoners were already getting too many privileges. His committee was against extending normal DStv channels to prisoners.

"If we allow DStv in prisons, they will become holiday resorts," said Bloem.

http://www.iol.co.za/index.php?set_id=1&click_id=&art_id=vn20080810093651873C533435


Now this REALLY pi$$e$ me off! What's next.. Playstation? They should be punished and made to watch only religious channels and old re-runs of MacGyver.

[waynegohl]

oh hell no!!! then they would want Prison Break too.

[PeterCH]

It depends on how serious the crimes were. These were medium security but what about
minimun security prisoners - eg tax evaders? ie Non-violent criminals whose prisons
probably resemble work camps already? Do we have such in SA?

[Garyvdh]

they should make them watch Parliamentary Channel live...

one set of criminals keeping watch on another! ;)

[ldmelsa]

one set of criminals keeping watch on another! ;)

"Welcome to Prisneyland, Fish."

[runswithscissors]

12 hours of religious broadcasting on the happy clappy channels? I'd kill myself in my cell.

Edit: The guilt of not being able to donate mountains of money for a miracle to set me free would be just too much

[Claymore]

Prison officials said they would not consider allowing normal DStv channels, but were meeting religious groups, including the Prison Broadcasting Ministries, to thrash out how the religious and learning channels would work.

KwaZulu-Natal Correctional Services spokesperson Thami Zondi said his department would oppose the DStv application. "Our aim is to rehabilitate offenders, not allow them to view Movie Magic and adult movies.

Seems unfair, allowing one type of fiction but not another.

[daveza]

They should be allowed these -

Entertainment: The Waltons, or Little House on the Prairie

Sport: Bowls and Dressage

That's all.

If they watch these every day for a year they get 2 years off their sentence.

[Cea$erMan]

Seems unfair, allowing one type of fiction but not another.

:D

Well said.

[Rozier]

What are these @rseholes bitching about? they already have DSTV. Deadly Sexually Transmitable Diseases in their cells.

They should be forced to watch 3 Talk, a few soapies and Yo tv. with promises of more of the same if they ever commit another crime.

[Kosmik]

Ok, maybe I'm being a bit of a harda** but who'd want prisoners spending all day in their cell watching DSTV?

****that! They're in prison because they committed a crime! A small crime is punished via a small sentence IE: community hours, suspended sentence etc. If your in prison, then your crime has harmed others : monetarily, psychologically or physically. Bring back the work gangs and the community projects. Make them build schools, clean up the streets or something. Hell, to rehabilitate them , teach them a skill like being a mechanic or brick laying and make it part of their every day routine IE: mechanic services government vehicles etc.

Fine to have a limited DSTV that the wardens allow prisoners to watch after a hard days work, current affairs etc like the news. Prisoners complaining that the public broadcaster is not good enough? Something is definitely wrong with our prison system if that is all they have to worry about.

[Turtle]

Prison is a punishment, it's supposed to suck. I don't even have DSTV.

[gregmcc]

Sure - give them DSTV - they can have Botswana and cartoon channels only :)

Hell - I can't afford DSTV, why should they get it. Maybe I should go to prison, 3 meals a day, a free roof over your head and now DSTV! I wonder if they have XBOX/PS3's planned next.

[EtienneK]

Seems unfair, allowing one type of fiction but not another.

*Sigh*

There's one in every forum.

[Moederloos]

I still maintain that non-violent criminals (irrespective of the level of crime, be it shop-lifting or pension fraud worth millions) should be offered the choice to work in areas where their skills or labour are useful.
For example, a doctor that was arrested for tax evasion can do work at a government hospital in lieu of jail time. A woman with no skills who shop-lifted some clothing can go work on a "Kibbutz" type farm in some rural area. And so on.
Why do we as a society think that "paying your debt to society" need involve sitting in a cell?

[CrazyMadMan]

Even the guys in prison know how *** SABC is, I feel for them, I am in the same boat. Atleast get some DVD box sets up in there, some series, some movies, some kiddies shows, have a heart people, SABC?! Inhuman all of you!

[Chavez]

I still maintain that non-violent criminals (irrespective of the level of crime, be it shop-lifting or pension fraud worth millions) should be offered the choice to work in areas where their skills or labour are useful.
For example, a doctor that was arrested for tax evasion can do work at a government hospital in lieu of jail time. A woman with no skills who shop-lifted some clothing can go work on a "Kibbutz" type farm in some rural area. And so on.
Why do we as a society think that "paying your debt to society" need involve sitting in a cell?

I must admit it's the first time I've read a comment like this and after thinking about it I have to agree with all you've said! Why let the relevant skills, if used for some criminal activity, go to waste in a cell? Makes more sense for them to pay their debt back to society by earning minimum wage doing some sort of community work inline with their skill sets.

[kingmonty]

Even the guys in prison know how *** SABC is, I feel for them, I am in the same boat. Atleast get some DVD box sets up in there, some series, some movies, some kiddies shows, have a heart people, SABC?! Inhuman all of you!
Most of the country do not have access to DSTV. It is a privilege that should not extend to prisoners. As it is, prisoners in SA have it pretty easy. They can already study pretty much for free while being incarcerated and besides for cleaning the prison and doing their own chores, they do not work.

[Kim_Webchick]

That is just wrong, prison is for punishment, does not matter what the crime is, they are not holiday resorts. They shouldn't be allowed that whether they pay for it or not!!!!

[lilGr]

Let them only be allowed to watch the same channel in each cell , so then they have to fight over the remote w0000p :)

[daveza]

*Sigh*

There's one in every forum.

Make that two.

And if you go to the Philosophical debates there are whole colonies of similar thinkers.

[TheHiveMind]

Shouldn't they be too busy digging holes and filling them up again to watch tv?

[-toady-]

I still maintain that non-violent criminals (irrespective of the level of crime, be it shop-lifting or pension fraud worth millions) should be offered the choice to work in areas where their skills or labour are useful.
For example, a doctor that was arrested for tax evasion can do work at a government hospital in lieu of jail time. A woman with no skills who shop-lifted some clothing can go work on a "Kibbutz" type farm in some rural area. And so on.
Why do we as a society think that "paying your debt to society" need involve sitting in a cell?

Agreed wholeheartedly.

[EtienneK]

Make that two.

And if you go to the Philosophical debates there are whole colonies of similar thinkers.

Which is where these types of debates should be. But it just seems that some people blurt out some kind of anti-religious sentiment every chance they get.

[Pooky]

oh hell no!!! then they would want Prison Break too.

......another LOL!!! Thanks!

[R13...]

LOL! this was most entertaining, i got tears coming out my eyes. LOL!
...while u at it take away the sabc too & give em tvs that only show the colour spectrum or that old globe thingy with an annoying sound that used to be shown end of transmission in the old days. make the tvs rubber of course.

[phenom]

seriously, let them have it, just means that now we can lock them up longer and keep them away! it's a deal!

[Office Furniture]

They have committed a crime why should they now have luxuries????

[daveza]

DSTV is a luxury for a month - after that it becomes a repetative luxury - then just plain old repetative.