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Prisoners should be allowed mobile phones and internet access

By John Hirst

Prisoners should be allowed mobile phones and internet access

Whilst I can understand the Prison Service seeking to crackdown on the supply of drugs going into prison, there is a wider issue here about the use of mobile phones by prisoners.

Recently, it emerged that prisoners were being charged 70% more than phone users outside by BT for phoning home. In my view, this cannot be justified given that prisoners only receive pocket money compared to the real wages received by people outside of prison. Therefore, it could be argued that prisoners should be allowed to have mobile phones in closed prisons.

Technology has moved forward. It used to be that prisoners would communicate by tapping out morse code messages on the heating pipes that run through the cells. These days I receive emails from inside, and know that my blog is read from those who have internet access on their mobile phones. I don't consider this to be a bad thing.

Not everybody outside who has a mobile phone and/or the internet uses it to call their drug dealer or access pornography. It would be deemed to be a breach of civil liberties if the authorities attempted to block general access for the sake of a few. And, I would argue that the same should apply within prisons.

UPDATE: It's worth pointing out that drugs do not get into prison via the mobile phone. That is just a source of communication. Nor do they get in via the prisoners internet connection. Drugs get in because there has been a security breach. That is the Prison Service's and Ministry of Justice responsibility.

Full post as published by prisonlawinsideout on July 21, 2008 (boomark / email).