Porn-watching prison inmates sue after losing PlayStations
CARSON CITY — Corrections officials have pulled the plug on a pilot program allowing inmates to use PlayStations at Nevada State Prison, after inmates were caught using them to watch pornographic movies.
The Nevada Appeal reported that some prisoners are suing to get the computer game devices back or be reimbursed for their out-of-pocket costs.
Prison spokesman Steve Suwe said inmates were allowed to buy the PlayStation II units along with games rated “E” for everybody.
No violent games or those with sexual situations and nothing above PG-13 were permitted.
“The problem is the PlayStation II can play DVDs,” Suwe said.
And it apparently wasn’t too difficult for inmates to get unauthorized movie DVDs, including porn smuggled into prison.
That effectively turned the prisoners’ PlayStation units into XXX-Boxes.
Director of Corrections Greg Cox said the problem wasn’t just porn. Violent game disks also were being smuggled in.
Suwe said there were other problems with the game computers as well. Prison officials were unable to stop inmates from trading game disks or loaning or renting devices to other inmates.
Both actions violate prison rules.
A year ago, former Corrections Director Howard Skolnik decided inmates who had not violated the rules could keep their PlayStations, although he cut off further purchases of the computer game devices.
When Cox reviewed the situation in February, he decided the program needed to stop altogether.
Inmates were notified that the game units, games, computer chips and controllers would be confiscated.
Suwe said inmates were told they could send the items home, donate them to charity or have prison officials dispose of them.
So far, 18 inmates have sued in Carson City’s small-claims court, demanding to be reimbursed for their costs.
They accuse the prison, Warden Greg Smith and Cox of “wrongful confiscation of authorized, approved personal property.”
“I want full reimbursement for what I paid through the canteen, a total of $601.16,” wrote inmate Albert Dawson in his claim petition.
The attorney general’s office has filed motions to have the claims dismissed.
