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1. 

   Ed, 11 Feb 2001 @ 5:43pm

   
   

   Silly

   It seems like a very short-sighted and arbitrary decision. Prisoners should have the same rights to email as they do to use the telephone. Communication both ways can be subject to monitoring, and, like outgoing phone calls, which are always collect and are preceded by an announcement that they originate from a prison, outgoing email can be wrapped with ample notice that it comes from a prisoner. Most web-based email manages to tag ads to all messages; why can't prisons do the same?
   

   
   I'm sure that, several decades ago, telephone privileges were seen as a complete luxury and something that didn't belong in a prison, but now limited phone privileges are, as I understand, granted to all except the worst offenders.

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2. 

   mhh5, 11 Feb 2001 @ 11:00pm

   
   

   Re: Silly

   Sure it's silly and arbitrary. But I think most prison rules are..? I also think that the state has a legitimate argument if the costs are too high for allowing email access. Phones are standard and cheap, but computers and modems and internet access is not quite as ubiquitous yet. Maybe when it is, email will be the *only* way to communicate with inmates....

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3. 

   Mike (profile), 12 Feb 2001 @ 12:19am

   
   

   Re: Silly

   Yeah, but it's not the costs of the modem and computers that seem to be the problem because they won't even allow emails that are printed out to be delivered. That seems silly.

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4. 

   u2604ab, 12 Feb 2001 @ 12:42pm

   
   

   capricous & arbitrary

   In Texas prisons, the best behaved people in the lightest-security prisons are allowed one collect phone call per year. If you're in Texas in a medium or high security lockup or if you've had a behavioral infraction within the last year, you can forget calling mom on her birthday.
   
   This treatment of prisoners (combined with the nature of the Texas criminal justice system) makes me wonder how long it will be before IBM teams up with Texas to round up all the gays, blacks & latinos-- because they're obviously all immoral criminals-- shave their heads and send them to special showers.

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5. 

   Ed, 12 Feb 2001 @ 1:37pm

   
   

   Re: capricous & arbitrary

   Don't ask me how I know this, but I'm certain that at least some Texas prisoners can make collect calls much more frequently than once per year.

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