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UK Prisons To Crack Down On Inmate Internet and Mobile Phone Use (thestack.com)
An anonymous reader writes: UK prisons will roll out enhanced internet and mobile phone blocking technologies, according to new measures announced yesterday by Chancellor George Osborne in the Autumn Statement. The step, which seeks to stop inmate access to the internet and calls made from mobile devices, will involve part of a £1.3bn investment from the Ministry of Justice to improve the country's Prison Service. Through this strategy, the government hopes to drive "safety improvements" by denying calls and data used on illicit mobile devices. The latest development in blocking technologies promises to be better (paywalled) than earlier systems, which inmates have been able to get around.
I have never read 1984 (or any other book for that matter) but mod me up anyway because NUMBER ONE! Yay!!!!
Confucius say, "Find worm in apple - bad. Find half a worm - worse."
£1.3bn to keep people from making phone calls and looking at Facebook.
That's not an "investment". It's just burning money.
Britain's ministry of justice is second only to the US department of justice in doing
NOTHING FOR JUSTICE WHATSOEVER
but being a pissant wanker in ensuring that people in the system have no access to reality, life, the Internet, and the ability to be part of even an online society, research their case, case law, or learn. .... Britain's Ministry of "justice". .... the US department of "justice".
These people have no idea what "justice" means.
E
choose the punishment for others we would prefer for ourselves? ask ed snowden your questions about helping to free the (also) innocent stem cells here on /. continues,,, quietly?
Controls on internet access and cell phones seems like something you actually do want to control in prisons. A drug dealer can run an entire operation from a cell phone. Not sure if anything like this is implemented in the US but it probably should.
Given this governments desire for things to have backdoors what are the chances this will include one. I mean what's an ex-MP to do if they get imprisoned (which occasionally happens). Mind you it would be a good lesson in something they seem to be totally unable to understand; even if you create a backdoor for a select few then eventually everyone knows how to use it.
If they're smuggling cell phones in, maybe you need to check their bungholes better.
Do they know how much of a pain in the ass it is to smuggle in the largest model iPhone?
Can we really have it both ways? In other parts of the world we're arguing that internet access should be a utility, rather than a luxary. Not taking ng the piss, just mulling it over.
It's a utility because it's become how we control and organise our lives. Prisoners, who have minimal control over their lives as the prison service does that for them, do not need it to the same degree and it is therefore a luxury. They do have controlled access to communications, for example to contact their lawyers. This is about preventing uncontrolled communication which is widely used for arranging drug supply, continued control over their criminal networks and so on. While previous systems have obviously failed, and no system will ever be perfect, hopefully this new initiative will work out better than what has gone before.
I was about to go on about whether that's a metaphor for common society and what the future looks like, but, 1.3 million pounds to setup a few firewalls and turn on parental controls. I haven't seen something as overfunded as that in quite a while...
"Set a man a fire, he'll be warm for the rest of the night. Set a man afire, he'll be warm for the rest of his life."
Considering that the Universal Declaration of Human Rights recognizes every person's right to liberty, we might as well conclude that even putting people in prison, not just restricting their access to communication, is a non-starter.
Prisoners have access to communication, but it's supervised to prevent the things which are the reason for the ban on unsupervised communication with people on the outside. If prisoners don't have the means to research their case, then the solution isn't to allow unsupervised communication, but to provide the means to research their case. And that does not mean unfettered access to daily news.
Folks, they are in prison for a reason.
"promises to be better (paywalled) "
Virtually smacks samzenpus upside their head.
blindly antisocialist = antisocial
So they're just going to line the prison with a wire mesh then?
Safe from cellular microwaves and EMP!
I for one will welcome our high-technolgy, convict overlords when the apocalypse comes.
This means I'm gonna hafta stop posing on Slashdot?
Why not make acces a privilege?
Totally agree! They need to feel punished for every minute and every day they are there. In some circles, they call it college and its expected that they will be in prision and they embrace that lifestyle, because its easier than the real world, having to earn enough for rent and food etc. prison is free rent, food, and other amenities...
I am fully aware that revenge and punishment are not accepted concepts in modern jurisdiction, but preventing convicted criminals from doing more harm is a valid and widely accepted purpose which justifies removing people from society. This includes limiting their ability to interact with the outside world.
global tel link wants it's $1 or per min for calls and cell make it so inmates pay a lot less.
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Have gnu, will travel.
Why should inmates have access to any mobile phones or the internet at all?
image
... a lot of people in the UK can't even get a decent connection, even thought they have to pay for it. So why do criminals get it free anyway. I thought the objective when jailed is to take away certain 'home comfort' liberties' that make it an atonement for crimes committed. If the story is true, then that is really sad.
The prisoners have electricity and water, even if monitored and controlled. They have lights out enforced on them and such. Internet is provided at most prisons, on computers that are locked down and heavily monitored, which is why prisoners want other means of Internet, to use it without oversight.
Something can be a fundamental right and still denied to prisoners. The US bans prisoners from voting, owning firearms, and a variety of other things that are "rights". Though many places allow prisoners to vote, i don't know if the UK is or isn't on that list.
Learn to love Alaska
it'd save a ton of money, and who'd hold up a liquor store when you'd fac the death penality? 14/88
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They are allowed to have XBox's and Playstations, and if they are lucky that provides an internet connection allowing online gaming and communication.
Vintage computer adverts: http://www.vintageadbrowser.com/computers-and-software-ads
The FCC and cell companies wont allow any intentional cell-free zones in the USA. Nominally the say its a safety issue for legal users. Inmates are very clever in obtaining, hiding and charging their phones. Plenty are found in any deep sweep of US jails. Did for theaters and schools.
First they start with some random prison to see if it works, then slowly apply it to the rest of the UK to prevent the serfs from questioning their glorious masters.
Lock people in box and then deny them the right to talk to other people. Yes, that's really going to improve safety.
The UK government has recently been told by the courts that they have to allow prisoners to vote (if they're on an indefinite sentence, IIRC), and the UK government are livid about being told that that is the law.
Birds are not dinosaur descendants;birds are dinosaurs, for all useful meanings of "birds", "are" and "dinosaurs"
We are talking about criminals. The types of people who have been bypassing security measures and restrictions for hundreds of years. Same thing with pirates.
At best, this effort will have an impact for about a year, but after then, internet and phone rates will go back to what they are currently.
Some people probably will respond with "oh so you are saying if you cant fix it completely why bother trying?". No, i think the effort, money, taxdollars and work can be put to better use. Maybe try improving the rehabilitation capabilities of the prisons, to keep repeat visits to a minimum.