news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/education/4574739.stm

This was suggested 5 years ago but still does not seem to have been adopted in the UK Prison Service.

If prisoners are to be trained and rehabilitated then surely INTERNET access is a good idea. With local authorities now able to filter content it would be impossible for people to access porn via a network server - so the risks are low.

Prisoners could pay for internet access out of their weekly wages like they do for TV if they chose to have access.

It seems weird that most other countries in Europe allow their prisoners to have internet access but in the UK we once again lag behind.

Thoughts ?

In some countries internet access is considered a human right.

Prisoners doing research of whatever type should have unlimited access.It is easy enough to record surfing habits to check up if the service is being abused.

The dreaded Meejah is behind the lack of this facility,Cameron and his croonies afraid of the headlines about prisoners getting too comfy inside etc.

No - it's not just that IA - when I was in Belmarsh I started a campaign to get Internet access and it's culminated in an E-Mail service which many prisons now take. There is limited Internet access in some prisons for work purposes but they haven't yet understood that the censorship area could be run more efficiently and cheaper if Internet access was allowed - it will happen but prisons are very, very old fashioned institutions and don't update fast.

Congrats on your campaign JK. Is the campaign still running ? and if not is it worth you starting it again ? I am sure we would all support it - perhaps having a page on KING OF HITS as a rallying point ? or on the newspaper site you write for ?

You are totally right that internet access ( obviously with censorship ) for research would be very very useful.

Watching TV is all well and dandy but is a very passive way of spending time.

If every prisoner was set research projects or even educational tasks ( imagine the PRISON SERVICE putting literacy lessons onto an INTRANET that all prisoners could use to help their English or Maths skills )

A whole NEW education system for the PRISON SERVICE could be developed this way. Part of the problem is that Prisoners are locked away in many prisons - and in addition there are not enough educators ( teachers ) to teach more than small numbers. Now if a new system was organised whereby the INTRANET in Prisons meant every prisoner could have at least 2 hours a day Education of their choice ( based in their cells or in a room on each wing ) then surely that would be useful.

Things like Anger Management - Life Skills - Filling out Application Forms - could all be taught via the INTRANET using videos ( for instance imagine JK fronting 10 minute programmes for inmates about the things he used to do face to face with inmates when in Belmarsh - Maidstone )

I think the PRISON SERVICE is living in the VICTORIAN CENTURY. It needs to use modern technology to MAKE THE UK SAFER and HELP PRISONERS not to re-offend.

I really think that TECHNOLOGY could be the future here and help Prisoners to feel that their time inside was not a waste.

Yep with this, it's also very simple, given that I used to work with schools systems. You just set up the computers in such a way that they cannot be messed around with (easily done with policies from Microsoft servers for instance) and a firewall that stops porn, Facebook et al. You could go further and have this locked down even more, but it's simple to do with existing technologies.

All very sensible posts, and a pat on the back for JK.

Unfortunately, I think there's bugger all chance of these very sensible ideas being put into action for two reasons.

1) Internet access will aid prisoners in their defence or appeal research.

2) The media will whinge about it.

We already get whingers about prisoners having TVs (which they hire), who don't stop for a second to think that without this simple measure, prisoners would quickly go round the twist or start rioting out of boredom: both more expensive to put right that just having them veg out in front of the idiot box.

Libraries in Prisons already have excellent facilities for Prisoners who want to research defence. The library at Pentonville had some very good books on law and all the Statutes as well. The librarians were incredibly helpful and so any prisoner could get information that way.

Obviously the internet could open up more news sources for Prisoners e.g the BBC site and sentencing and CPS sites - but surely in a free society if the "Legal System has nothing to hide it has nothing to fear"

I agree that modern server locking systems mean that access can be controlled strictly - all e mail could even be routed through a checking system like mail is - and in fact it would save prisons money because it would save on postage costs.

Internet For UK Prisons - should be a massive campaign.