Overreaction to flat screen televisions
Buying flat screen plasma television sets for inmates at a sex offenders prison facility may seem like a "bonehead" idea as Gov. Tim Pawlenty said this week, but is it?
The story certainly captures interest and has been good for some quips by Pawlenty and other legislators, but in a way, it's an easy target and even a distraction from the larger issue of the expense and purpose of sex offender treatment programs and civil commitment.
The newly expanded Lyon County Jail has flat screen televisions in community rooms. Not because jail administrator Brad Marks wants to offer inmates luxury but because of practicality.
"It's cheaper than console TVs," Marks said of buying a flat screen and mounting it on a cement wall inside the jail. "Try to find a console TV and then, anchor it to a wall and secure it into the block."
The jail would need to find a manufacturer who could make a protective screen and anchor for the console television that would be of institutional grade, Marks said.
"As soon as you add institutional, that raises the price 75 to 80 percent above what it should be," Marks said.
Marks found the flat screens to be more practical and economical.
Media reports said the televisions at Moose Lake cost about $1,500 and another $700 for brackets to mount them.
Moose Lake has had its financial struggles so the cost and purchase of new flat screen televisions should lead to some questions, but for Pawlenty to order the televisions removed and sold, if possible, is silly. The money has been spent, the state will now lose money on the purchase and now, it looks as if the response was more knee jerk than to spark responsible discussion about televisions and other features in our jails and prisons and about civil commitment prisons and sex offender treatment.
Part of responsible discussion could include talking about why prisons and jails even have televisions.
Television is a management tool in the local jail, Marks said. "TV is a privilege so are phones," Marks said.
Remember, jails house convicted prisoners as well as those awaiting trial.
Sure jails and prisons could remove televisions and keep inmates in cells for much of the day, but is that best management practice? Not really.
As Marks said, televisions are a privilege and a management tool.
Inmates earn the privilege of watching television.
To completely deny inmates certain privileges many of us are accustomed would create a new set of management issues as a jail or prison increases the chances for frustration, boredom, anger and other emotions in inmates.
In short, Marks said, such an environment causes safety and security concerns for inmates and staff. And would likely lead to staff turnover.
Griping about two dozen new 50-inch flat screen televisions may get Pawlenty and legislators media ink and sound bites, but as so many other similar occasions in this state with a struggling economy, infrastructure needs that are skyrocketing and other issues, it does little to solve the big issues and even spark responsible discussion.
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blasphemer
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10-29-09 3:04 AM
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hj1234 Thank you for not being a moron.
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rangeral
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10-24-09 10:56 AM
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We should adapt all of Sheriff Joe's methods in MN - would cut jail and prison costs by over 20%. He has a large farm that raises the bulk of the food needed for the convicts - and the convicts do the work. The convicts in MN have it better than many in the general population.
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nofluforme
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10-24-09 7:26 AM
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i can rip flat screen off a wall just as easily as a mounted traditional box...no actually a flat screen is easier...the old boxes are usually on a bracket up high in the corner of the room. HMM are the flat screen in a plexi box or somthing? I think a upper corner bracket mount donated tv with a chain could continue to do a fine job.
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Grumpyoldman
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10-23-09 3:27 PM
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so then - we take away the tv's (a proven method for keeping peace in such an environment) what are they going to do to keep the inmates busy? Seems to me that a one time investment of a television that can be mounted and secured better than a traditional set (improving safety of both inmates and staff) at a one time cost of $50K is a better investment in the long hall then having to hire 2 additional guards to oversee inmates with too much free time on their hands.
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ruralroute
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10-23-09 3:13 PM
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not a bad concept, noflu...
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nofluforme
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10-23-09 9:17 AM
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Maybe they could adopt a "cash for clunkers for convicts" type program where we can turn in our old tv's, WE get $$$ toward a new TV and the jails get our old tv's. They get their tv screens for privilages and WE, law abiding citizens get the new tvs with OUR tax money.
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ruralroute
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10-23-09 8:04 AM
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merion, you are right that not all people in the prison are convicted -- but many of them are. I think this is a colossal waste of money -- buy used TVs, rely on second-hand donations -- but don't go out spending this kind of money. Makes people wonder what other government entities waste money on.
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merioncooper
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10-22-09 10:48 PM
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My source for the Maricopa data: Maricopa Association of Governments 2007 Regional Human Services Summit Youth and Crime Issue Pairing Template
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merioncooper
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10-22-09 10:46 PM
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The editorial raises good points. At the county jail, not everyone incarcerated has been convicted yet. Some are awaiting trial, so they should not be treated inhumanely. Plus, as Marks said, the flat-screens are more readily available and easier to get up to code, etc. The Arpaio route? Nice to bring up a barbaric miscreant like him -- he puts his inmates in tents surrounded by barbed wire. Maricopa County (his county) has the highest rate of serious crime and property crime in the nation. There's a reason barbarians vanished, like, a millenium ago.
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EdmundFitzgerald
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10-22-09 10:17 PM
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Independent: Who wrote this garbage?
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hj1234
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10-22-09 9:28 PM
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Employee turnover , because the population in the facility will deteriorate,due to not having modern tools to help these people.
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hj1234
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10-22-09 9:22 PM
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I am not for spending this kind of money on these types of facilities but if you read the article,,,these TV's are used to educate or are a priviledge tool for managing these people. I don't have a 50" set I still have my 19" old tube set with a 40 dollar converter box to get the new signals,,,,but what we do have is the freedom to do whatever we want, whenever we want. Would you give up all your freedoms to be locked up and have the LUXURY of learning how to fix yourself on a 50" flatscreen ? They can probably have more inmates be able to see it in a area with less officers on the payroll to keep them in line The people in there aren't idiots(maybe they are?) They probably can see that if the community is authorizing these,,,people maybe actually care that they are getting help. The lose of employees ,,,I do believe is that these sets are tools to keeping the population in control,,give them the b/w 60's sets and you will get what you gave a piece of crap. Employee
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ruralroute
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10-22-09 4:13 PM
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Yeah, if they need TVs -- have individuals donate their old ones as a tax write off. Why should somebody in prison or sex offender treatment have a better TV than most of the general public?
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nofluforme
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10-22-09 3:25 PM
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MAJOR waste 'o money - I'll donate my 1960's 13" black in white if they need a tv - sheesh.
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nofluforme
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10-22-09 3:25 PM
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MAJOR waste 'o money - I'll donate my 1960's 13" black in white if they need a tv - sheesh.
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ruralroute
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10-22-09 12:53 PM
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This is a total waste of money -- I just wonder how many other government entities do the same.
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rangeral
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10-22-09 10:11 AM
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Just for comparison, how many 50" plasma TVs are mounted on the walls at the Indpendent?
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rangeral
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10-22-09 10:03 AM
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First, what do the 50 flat screen plasma TVs cost - they are big and they are plasma so the cost must be in excess of $1,000 each. I can't afford even one of these for my home. Second, why not take the Joe Arpaio approach - give them cable but show only the Disney channel and the weather channel. Third, no other business I know of would lose employees due to lack of a 50" plasma TV - who would even make that kind of statement? The Governor is right - this is a waste of money and the arguments made to support installation are just plain goofy and don't stand the test of fiscal daylight. Who wrote this piece?
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