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PlayStation (Games) Entertainment Games

No Grand Theft Auto In Prison? 80

Posted by simoniker from the same-ol-same-ol dept.
Thanks to Frictionless Insight for pointing to an Australian article discussing a judge's suggestion that Grand Theft Auto-style games not be available in prison. According to the report, "Bradley Scott McConkey... led police on a 200km car chase at speeds of up to 180 kilometres per hour, as well as stealing cars at knifepoint and committing armed robbery on two businesses", and additionally, "...a psychologist's report said McConkey had played Playstation's Grand Theft Auto during a previous jail term." Due to the similarity of the games and the crime, the judge suggested "...the appropriateness of Grand Theft Auto-style games in a prison environment was questionable", since it "provides opportunities for rehearsing their destructive activities."
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No Grand Theft Auto In Prison? More

No Grand Theft Auto In Prison?

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  • Video Games in Prison? (Score:4, Funny)

    by saden1 ( 581102 ) on Saturday September 13, 2003 @12:56PM (#6952024)
    Oh my, my tax dollars are paying for that now? I want a Console for x-mass, send me one Uncle Sam!
    • you know, you don't lose the privilidge of having possessions when you become a prisoner. you can very well save for an xbox or tv, or have some relatives that might want to give one to you(you know, prisoners shouldn't lose their human rights).

      and personally i feel playing games is alot better than shooting up crack while in prison(if you think that's not possible, guess again.).

      • Re:Video Games in Prison? (Score:4, Insightful)

        by Babbster ( 107076 ) <aaronbabb&gmail,com> on Saturday September 13, 2003 @01:32PM (#6952277) Homepage
        you know, prisoners shouldn't lose their human rights

        Actually, going to prison means at its base that you DO lose human rights, though not quite all of them. Furthermore, depending on what kind of prison you're in, there are many things that you cannot own and possess inside the place - were owning and possessing property in one's cell a right in prison, I expect there would be a lot of Ginsu products sold there. I suppose it's possible that there are prisons where you can own and possess your television in prison, but it's certainly not a standard and would in most states be subject to the warden/superintendant's decision.

        • ...the problem is that violent crime is a successful option in the game. It's teaching - reinforcing gently but over and over and over again - that "violent crime can get you stuff".

          When David Birnie, serial killer along with his wife Catherine, was given a computer in prison to write up his life story as a warning to others, he promptly began turning out sick porn which bore an uncanny resemblance to the perversions and murders he and his wife had actually committed. It's not the computer's fault, but th
      • you don't lose the privilidge of having possessions when you become a prisoner.

        Lol, next you'll tell us that prisoners have the right to bear arms :)
    • HUH? Does your uncle Sam live in Australia? RTFA

  • Uh, video games in prison? (Score:5, Insightful)

    by adamjaskie ( 310474 ) on Saturday September 13, 2003 @01:00PM (#6952051) Homepage
    Why is my money paying for this? They shouldnt have tetris, let alone GTA. Hell, I dont have a playstation 2, why should a bank robber in jail?
    • If you let prisoners play Tetris all day long, who WOULDN'T want to go to prison?

    • Re:Uh, video games in prison? (Score:4, Insightful)

      by Babbster ( 107076 ) <aaronbabb&gmail,com> on Saturday September 13, 2003 @01:39PM (#6952310) Homepage
      The likelihood is that prisons with video games have one or two consoles in a rec room serving hundreds of prisoners. Considering how many prisoners can be entertained at a time (watching and playing), a video game console would actually be a relatively economical diversion. Also, unless you're one of those who truly believe that video games make people do things they wouldn't ordinarily do (like stealing cars and beating people), they could also be a good way to bleed off a bit of the aggression that many prisoners will inevitably feel.

      Finally, I would note that, at least for me, I'm far more concerned about how much money we spend putting non-violent offenders in prison for using drugs. They could afford nice setups with 10 or more computers/consoles in every prison if we could trim those numbers down. A Playstation 2 or three is hardly a drop in the prison bucket.

      • Re:Uh, video games in prison? (Score:5, Insightful)

        by spencerogden ( 49254 ) <spencer@spencerogden.com> on Saturday September 13, 2003 @02:59PM (#6952679) Homepage
        I'm not one of theose people who think that video games make "do things". But I do think that providing entertainment to inmates is dumb. If you want entertainment, at least make it valuable, read a book or something. Like the origional poster said, I don't even own a playstation. I fail to see what benefit the availability of video games has towards rehabilitation.
        • > I fail to see what benefit the availability of video games has towards rehabilitation.
          What about The Sims ? :op

          • Re:Uh, video games in prison? (Score:4, Funny)

            by La Temperanza ( 638530 ) <temperanza@softhom e . net> on Sunday September 14, 2003 @01:22AM (#6955282)
            This just in: A gruesome murder was committed in which a family of four was trapped inside their house for two weeks by an insane killer before starving to death.

            The flamboyant perpetrator, billing himself "The Playa", somehow removed all the windows and doors, replaced the flooring with concrete, and destroyed all furniture including the toilet and refrigirator while the family was inside. "There was a noise, it sounded kinda like 'Paused, and everything changed," describes the half-eaten diary of Mya Sim, twelve years old.

            Just as mysteriously, none of the neighbors noticed the family's plight until it was far too late, despite the house's drastically altered appearance. The police were finally tipped off by someone with the alias of "Game Over", thought to be a rival underground figure.
        • The benefit that the availability of video games and entertainment has is that it makes prisoners happier, and a happy prisoner is less likely to make costly and fatal trouble.

          I mean, let's face it - locking up lots of known criminals in one place together is already a risky idea. Making them bored and unhappy is just asking for trouble.

          And, considering the illiteracy rate in prison, books just aren't gonna cut it.

          • And, considering the illiteracy rate in prison, books just aren't gonna cut it.

            The obvious first step, then, would be to do something about illiteracy. And I'm not talking about boring traditional lessons even though they would be better than nothing.

            Sitting them in front of television is much worse than useless (Anton LaVey, founder of Satanism, wrote "Kneeling before the cathode ray God, with our TV Guide concordance in hand, we maintain the illusion of choice by flipping channels (chapters and verse

            • Anton LaVey, founder of Satanism, wrote "Kneeling before the cathode ray God, with our TV Guide concordance in hand, we maintain the illusion of choice by flipping channels (chapters and verses). It doesn't matter what is flashing on the screen - all that's important is that the TV stays on".

              Ok, so this guy said that. What gives his opinion any credibility anyway? Literacy is a noble pursuit, but not one that our prisons are likely to undertake in a serious way. Much cheaper and easier to just give th

        • Re:Uh, video games in prison? (Score:1, Informative)

          by Anonymous Coward

          I fail to see what benefit the availability of video games has towards rehabilitation.

          Rehabilitation is not a goal of the US prison system. Making money and keeping inmates away from the population are the goals. Rehabilitation is only a goal of juvenile facilities usually. Once you're in the adult system, they aren't even trying to rehabilitate you. That would be too expensive.

          • Not trying to rehabilitate? Then why do they offer parole? Why do they have prisoners working? Why not just bind them in their cells?

            Ohh, that's right. You're retarded. Almost every penal system in the western world is focussed on rehabilitation over incarceration.
    • this is in australia...but why the hell would ANY prison provide a game console for prisoners? for gods sake, its prison; you arent supposed to relax and have fun. its for punishment. if they get to not work, excersize, watch tv and play ps2 wheres the punishment? random prison rape?

      youd think to punish someone in hopes they wouldnt commit further crimes that a prisoner wouldnt have acces to much more than: some excersize equipment, limited outdoor time, news, some education, prison-class food, a small

      • Re:Uh, video games in prison? (Score:2, Insightful)

        by Anonymous Coward
        for gods sake, its prison; you arent supposed to relax and have fun. its for punishment.

        Generally, the primary purpose of prison is not punishment, it is to rehabilitate the prisoners so they can rejoin society. Many people complain that prisoners get free education, but maybe if they gain some useful skills they won't be commiting crimes when they are released. Being in shape will be useful for many jobs. Relaxation will help keep them sane, and prevent rage from building up, which is always useful.

        So a
    • Uh, who said the prison provided the system or the game? Prisoners can own things, though I am of the belief that prison should be a punishment, not a recreational break away from the rest of society. I'm not saying prisoners should be beaten and stuff, but if you let their punishment be sitting around watching tv and playing games while talking to others around them...shit, I know a lot of people who would sign up for that.

      Honestly this makes sense to me and should've been done a while ago, except the

    • If the average inmate is as bad as GTA as I am it should be a massive deterrent to crime. I suck so much its unbelievable - although I can snipe and strafe and murder with the best of them in CS or UT, I cannot hit the broadside of a barn with a shotgun in GTA3 - I dont think i've ever completed an entire mission without a cheat code in any of the games.

      Give them this game! Rockstar, make a harder version for criminals, one with alternate paths like community college and construction careers.
    • I think this would be a small consolation to the people that are wrongfully imprisoned. But that doesn't happen here in the US, does it?
      • Oh, right, so just because a few of the people in the prison are wrongfully imprisoned, we should spend our tax money to buy prisoners playstations? Im NOT in prison. Wheres MY playstation? Prisoners should be provided with food, shelter, clothing, exercise, and education. They dont need video games. If you are wrongfully imprisoned, thats your problem. We dont need to change how we treat prisoners, just because some of them might not be guilty.
        • Oh, right, so just because a few of the people in the prison are wrongfully imprisoned, we should spend our tax money to buy prisoners playstations?

          We sure as hell should.

          It would be amusing to watch your opinion change if you are wrongfully imprisoned.

          I think it is a small price to pay. Granted, if people have a history of car-jacking, GTA might not be the best choice. Between rape and other abuse, I think prisoners have enough shit to worry about that the PS2 hardly makes up for any of it. And

          • Well, maybe they should spend the money on roads rather than spending it on entertaining criminals. $15k on a study to figure out why prisoners wanted to escape? Thats insane. Of course they want to escape. Having playstations for them wont change them wanting to escape. Just because there MIGHT be a few people wrongfully imprisoned doesnt mean ALL prisoners are wrongfully imprisoned. Besides, if I was wrongfully imprisoned, I would be spending all my time talking to lawyers, not playing on a playstation. H

  • Ok.... what?!?! (Score:4, Funny)

    by hawkbug ( 94280 ) <psxNO@SPAMfimble.com> on Saturday September 13, 2003 @01:14PM (#6952146) Homepage
    Maybe I'm ignorant here, but I'm not surprised by the fact that they can't play GTA in prison... I'm surprised by the fact they have video games at ALL in prison. This is news to me. Maybe I should go rob somebody so I can get free food and housing, and now PS2 games in the slammer...

    • Re:Ok.... what?!?! (Score:5, Insightful)

      by isorox ( 205688 ) on Saturday September 13, 2003 @01:36PM (#6952294) Homepage Journal
      For us slashdotters with computers, homes, internet, and probably a lot more, prison still is a deterrent, but when I look at a guy I saw at the Oxford Circus Underground station a couple of weeks ago, white as a sheet, thin as a rake, looked really bad (I gave him all the change in my pocket, if I went that way frequently I'd be taking him sandwiches), and I wonder why the system fails. If you're out on the streets, genuinely starving, just throw a brick through a window and confess police station, at the very least you get a bed for the night.

      • Beggars (OT) (Score:3, Insightful)

        by @madeus ( 24818 )
        This is off topic but as a Londoner I feel strongly about it (and for the record, I don't think any adult in jail should have access to a games console unless they are, for example, in a minimum security facility, in which case it's not really relevent if they have access to violent games or not, because volient criminals and those likely to re-offend should not be in minium security jails (IMO)).

        But I digress. On beggers...

        You same the very same people year after year at places like Oxford Circus, going

        • Re:Beggars (OT) (Score:3, Interesting)

          by isorox ( 205688 )
          I live in Walthamstow, work in Shepherd's Bush, and I know what you mean. Its not confined to London though, Exeter's just the same, albeit on a smaller scale, Manchesters pretty much the same scale. Normally I ignore beggars - but this guy looked like he should have been in hospital, definatly didnt have the heart or energy to kick up a fuss. I didnt think to ask him why he wasnt getting help as I'd had a long day and it was 11PM.

          This was down on the station platform though, Any idea why LUL staff hadnt m
          • We've got a similar issue outside our religious buildings in the heart of the city.

            The beggers are not allowed on the grounds, and just inside the grounds are signs that say something like "Please donate to reputable charities or the hostel & soup kitchen just down the road." Even so, there are people who sit there, just outside the buildings, begging for money.

            Once I saw a guy that's been there forever, who normally had a sign begging for $10 changed it to ask for $17. I had to stop and ask why he

    • We put people in prison for one of three reasons: 1) to rehabilitate them, 2) to punish them, 3) to keep them away from polite society so they won't harm us again.

      Unless you are in prison for option 2, why the fuck shouldn't you play video games whilst there? Especailly since you might be there because the government has exceeded their mandate and locked you up for ingesting a substance that it is none of their fucking business to prevent you from ingesting.
      • It truly annoys me that there are still people who do not know what prison is for, yet they choose to write self-righteous replies pointing out wrong facts. I'll give you a hint: it's called a corrective facility for a reason. The fact is that through our education and social memes we have gotten to believe that prison is for punishment. It is not, and we need to be categorical about this. The fact that people still believe that you are being punished while in prison, let alone that you are in prison so you
        • I think that we are essentially in agreement. I wasn't actually arguing that we imprison people to punish them, which was why I was arguing for the rights of prisoners to enjoy their consoles while they are locked up.

          Sorry if I was unclear.

          Anyway, as far as a prison being a "corrective facility," how many of the broken people who go into them ever emerge fixed? Results are the only true measure, not ideology or intention.

          We do hold people in prison so they cannot do cannot do more harm, but only becaus
          • The system does not work because nobody expects prisons to be corrective facilities anymore. Everyone has resigned to seeing them as punishment. Would you, for example, hire someone who has been in prison? I know I wouldn't, even considering the post I made. Why? Because even though prison, the institution, is a corrective facility, nobody expects it to function as such. It ends up, therefore, being exactly what everyone thinks it is - punishment.

            My own worldview does not have a place for prisons as they a

        • It truly annoys me that there are still people who do not know what prison is for, yet they choose to write self-righteous replies pointing out wrong facts. I'll give you a hint: it's called a corrective facility for a reason. The fact is that through our education and social memes we have gotten to believe that prison is for punishment. It is not, and we need to be categorical about this. The fact that people still believe that you are being punished while in prison, let alone that you are in prison so you
          • I was not talking about the specifics of GTA in prison, rather I chose to comment on the wrong assumption that prison time is time you spend being punished. Yes, I'd probably agree with your opinion...
        • It all sounds good in theory, but unfortunately it's nothing like that; if you've ever talked to anyone who's spent time in one (as an inmate or as an officer), rehabilitation is about as far from what goes on as is imaginable. The popular idea is that incarceration can be justified in 3 ways : rehabilitation, punishment/retribution and separation from society. Very little effort's put into the first, the 2nd makes taxpayers feel good but, especialy considering draconian mandatory sentencing rules, the 3r
      • We put people in prison for one of three reasons: 1) to rehabilitate them

        /ME wonders aloud how GTA is going to help with option 1.

        /ME also wonders why we have to do one option at a time.

  • Just Change It (Score:5, Funny)

    by cybermage ( 112274 ) on Saturday September 13, 2003 @01:21PM (#6952210) Homepage Journal
    Don't take GTA away from them, just give them a version where they get gunned down in a hail of bullets within seconds of commiting a crime.

    A little conditioning goes a long way.

  • Why is this a problem? (Score:3, Insightful)

    by Blitter ( 15795 ) on Saturday September 13, 2003 @01:24PM (#6952226)
    You're dealing with an adult who has demonstrated that they are irresponsible and a danger to society, not a minor who has avoided screwing up in real life even though he loves playing GTA. You're also dealing with a guy who is in prison: he doesn't get the bennies the good guys do. This is hardly a case of The Man being scared that video games will create monsters. The judge realized that with normal people that isn't going to happen, but with people who have demonstrated they can't manage their behavior and steal cars at knifepoint and lead police on high speed chases, it's a valid concern.

  • Holy shit. (Score:3, Insightful)

    by Lukey Boy ( 16717 ) on Saturday September 13, 2003 @01:34PM (#6952283) Homepage
    The bigger issue is... I can play video games in prison? What the hell's with that?
  • works good for anger management.

  • Six years, eight months? (Score:4, Interesting)

    by Babbster ( 107076 ) <aaronbabb&gmail,com> on Saturday September 13, 2003 @01:44PM (#6952336) Homepage
    McConkey pleaded guilty in August to seven charges including assault with intent to rob, aggravated armed robbery and stealing a car...He was sentenced to a total of six years and eight months in jail.

    Is anyone else more concerned that Australia can't give a tougher sentence to people who commit violent crimes (armed robbery)? Admittedly, I don't know much about the Australian justice system. Do they actually put people away for the entirety of their sentence? If so then the sentence isn't TOO bad (seems like it could still be longer), but in America the above sentence would end up being under three years if the prisoner met enough parole conditions...

    • The problem with Australians is they are too tough. The judge was probably like "Only seven counts? Pansy. Six years!"

      This is a nation founded as a prison colony. They think Rugby isn't rough enough so they made up Australian Rugby. They are psychos down there. Have you ever tried drinking with an Australian?? They have a death wish!

      I don't question anything the Australians have done, except maybe using PAL instead of NTSC. I mean these are the people that "Hey, Paul Hogan and Yahoo Serious: Get out!" Sound

    • Australian sentences generally seem to be fairly short, from what I've seen (in the state of Victoria).

      For example, it seems the public is content with a violent murderer going away for 15-20 years, whereas in the US you'd probably want life, or death.

      I was actually surprised at this guy for getting almost 7 years - although this is another state (WA) so I'm not too familiar with their sentencing - it will obviously differ state to state as it does in the US.
    • Australian sentencing seems to be quite leniant by US standards. It seems to me to be very similar to the UK. In the UK (and I suspect in Australia too) there is much pressure on over crowed prisions.

      Interestingly enough, this was a problem in the US when GWB came to power, so, duh, he though, we need to build a lot more prisions (a very GWB solution).

      I'm not a fan of the US Justice System (it /still/ exececutes people for a start, which is entirely despicable in my book, and I find it US police are exces
    • This sentence isn't too short. Incarceration simply does not work. I am not aware of the rehabilitation programs in Australia, nor the general crime situation.

      But I can tell you how horrible of a mistake the "tough on crime" initiative in the US has been. It was founded on the studies of just one man (the name eludes me, I'm sure you could look it up if the topic interests you). That was in the early 1970's, and it sounded good to certain people, so longer sentences were instituted. They've been in pl
  • it "provides opportunities for rehearsing their destructive activities."

    This is considered as credit for rockstar, for devloping such a realistic simulation. I would consider this as an ad more of it as anti-campaign..

  • Rehearsal for real life crimes? (Score:5, Funny)

    by Violet Null ( 452694 ) on Saturday September 13, 2003 @02:44PM (#6952613)
    Sure, I guess GTA can be used as a rehearsal for real life crimes, as long as those real life crimes assume the following facts apply in the real world...
    • Police are willing to overlook any crime -- even the slaughter of dozens of policeman -- with a few bribes. Or, even easier, by having your car spray painted another color.
    • A car can undergo any trauma -- even falling from the roof of a building or cliff or ramming another car at full speed -- and still provide complete protection and allow at least seven seconds getaway before it blows up.
    • High powered weapons can be found in obscure corners.
    • You never run out of gas.
    • Car doors are hardly ever locked.
    • You can carjack any car you want simply by stepping in front of it, waiting for it to stop (which it will always do), and then removing the driver from the car, which is never resisted.
    • Cops don't care if you flagrantly violate traffic rules.
    • If, somehow, you die or get arrested, you only lose a little amount of money, and your weapons.

    Yep, assume all that, and it is a highly useful simulation.

  • I remember these! (Score:3, Funny)

    by Sevn ( 12012 ) on Saturday September 13, 2003 @03:22PM (#6952790) Homepage Journal
    Bradley Scott McConkey led police on a 200km car chase at speeds of up to 180 kilometres per hour, as well as stealing cars at knifepoint and committing armed robbery on two businesses. If he spent a total of 15 minutes stealing cars at knifepoint, and commiting armed robbery while maintaining a total average speed of 155kph when he was driving, how big is his butthole now?
  • I'm thinking the key part of this article is the fact that he played it "during a previous jail sentence."

    I mean, doesn't that give you some kind of clue to what you should let inmates play?

    "Yeah, Hi, I've been incarcerated before."
    "Oh, okay. Here's your copy of GTA3. Have a nice day."

    I can't believe my tax dollars are paying prisons to make the problem worse. I know everyone says it, but prisons should be rehabilitating them for acceptance in everyday moral society... and most certainly keeping them fro

  • Lets take away paper and pens too! (Score:3, Insightful)

    by PerpetualMotion ( 550623 ) on Saturday September 13, 2003 @03:55PM (#6952916)
    And books....you can't forget the books. We wouldn't want someone reading some murder mystery while in for a dime on manslaughter. Why don't we just cage them up in bamboo cells, call them animals, and set them all loose in Australia after they complete their term. GTA is whats happening in the real world, and if you keep your inmates secluded and sheltered from real life not only do you run the risk of culture shock when they get out, you make them less efficent in society. If you want to ban someone from playing GTA even after they run out their term, well, I suppose the ACLU would have something to say.
  • Wasn't Australia a British penal colony some times ago ? That would explain some things [gamespot.com].

  • GTA in Aussieland? (Score:1, Interesting)

    by Anonymous Coward
    Wasn't the original GTA completely banned in Australia? I thought they kept up the trend to present-day too. Why would the prisoner even have access to it?

    • Re:GTA in Aussieland? (Score:1, Informative)

      by Anonymous Coward
      GTA3 was released locally, but pulled off the shelves after a month or so, mainly due to the fact that the game allowed you not only to have sex with a prostitute, but to attack her after the deed and steal your money back. Shooting random pedestrians is seemingly ok, but when combined with sex it becomes a no-no. The game was then re-released sans prostitution, and no other changes as far as I'm aware of (the girls are still there, but are just pedestrians now). When Vice City was released, it was prostitu

  • Changes needed (Score:4, Insightful)

    by Anonymous Coward on Saturday September 13, 2003 @06:48PM (#6953754)
    They let inmates play video games, lift weights etc etc to keep them from rioting and raping each other. The same people whining about all these perks are the same people who would raise hell if any more money went into fixing the prison system; making them secure institutions that are harsh yet humane instead of a candyland for gangs.
  • "Fucking duh!"
    -- (from the 2002 Live album)
  • And I played the Lord Of The Rings game, so gimme your valuables, especially and gold rings because they're mine! My own! My precious!

    When are lawyers going to stop pinning the guilt on the first handy schmuck that comes along?

    Until then, I'm keeping a Taco Bell wrapper in my car so I can blame that little dog if I get pulled over.
  • Could someone tell me again why I bust my ass 10 hours a day, 4 days a week, while prisoners don't work (or do hospital laundry, tops) and get a playstation? Great message...if I commit a crime, I go to jail, sit around and play video games.

    Meanwhile, I don't know a single state that doesn't have roads in need of work. I'm thinking we could help out the road crews a bit by assigning prison labor to the work the normal road crews dread because it's dangerous or exceedingly difficult. Prisoners can earn t

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