By Gemma Simpson, 3 January 2007 13:00
NEWS
The Home Office is planning to give inmates email access so they can keep in contact with their families.
A pilot project is on the drawing board to let some prisoners send plain-text emails to pre-approved email addresses.
Photos: Prisoners get tech training
silicon.com visited Standford Hill Prison to see how inmates are trained in digital printing. See the full photo story here.
A Home Office spokeswoman said the project will not go ahead until ministers have fully reviewed the proposal and are happy the emails will be monitored properly to prevent potential abuses.
The pilot scheme will see all emails sent to and from prisoners scanned to detect inappropriate content.
The spokeswoman said emails will also be archived with security staff actively monitoring content. If misuse is found the system will be locked down for up to six months.
The combined scanning and archiving of emails should spot any dubious use of email accounts, for example outsider email accounts being used by other people, the spokeswoman added.
The spokeswoman would not confirm press reports that Wandsworth Prison in south London will kick off the pilot scheme.
Comments
There are 18 comments. Join the discussion
1. anonymous
Thats a good idea, because these low life scum of society dont get enough pleasures in life do they, after all they have commited a crime so they should be awarded all the niceties in life shouldnt they? what a ridiculous sugestion the do gooding half wit that came up with this idea should become a victim of these scurges on society and then see if there opinion is the same.
2. Mike Poole
About time to. Surely emails are easier to monitor than snail mail which I imagine they can send and receive anyway.
3. Simon Cox
No no no. Our prisons are meant to be a deterent, not a holiday camp. This is truly appauling. How much will it now cost to incarcerate a person who refuses to be a part of our society? More than it does to keep an old person in a home - a lot more.
4. Chris Goodman
And who pays for this privilege to be given to those who have offended against society? Simple - those who have been the victims.
5. Paul Shrimpton
Would you trust anyone with a '.con' email address?
6. anonymous
Let me get this straight. I'm 60+, made redundant last year. Due to my age, I can't get another IT job, neither do I qualify for Jobseekers Allowance or any training schemes (well they do pay me a pension, don't they?). I've been a bit too busy the last 40 years holding down a job & paying my taxes to take up either mugging or drug dealing. Since my redundancy, I've been doing some retraining - which I paid for - and I also pay for my Internet access so I can use email to keep in touch with my family who live away. However, had I taken the mugging/dealing path, I would be assured of a roof over my head (no rent/mortgage, council tax), heating, food, colour TV, free OU courses and now – email! H’m, where exactly have I gone wrong in life?
7. anonymous
They will need to be taught computer skills as well. Why not spend the money building more prisons.
8. Armitage Shanks
So prisoners get email - so what?
I mean it's been commonplace in UK homes for how long?
Why are there so many dummies out there who assume that prisoners somehow "get more than they do".
Let's just look at it objectively - I'll go home tonight - watch some TV, maybe play one of my extensive collection of guitars, do some web stuff, read a book and then go to bed at the time of my choosing.
So whose better off me or the guy doing a six year stretch for robbery?
9. Matt
I was under the impression that Prison was where the Un-Law Abiding community went when they were caught doing the things that society deemed wrong!
The whole idea of prison was to punish them for their wrong doing, take away their 'liberties' until they were deemed 'fit' for social life.... why even bother with prisons at all these days?! They get more perks than me, a law-abiding, tax paying mug!
Bring back hanging! That'd sort out the overcrowding problem!
10. Rod
The problem with prison is that people who go in for fairly minor things are then immersed in the full university of crime and often lose touch with friends, family, etc. No better way to turn some of them into fully fledged criminals. Email may help them keep in touch with families etc, its a privilege that can easily be withdrawn and its much easier to monitor than snail mail. So I say give it a try and measure the reoffending rate. If it works then roll it out; if not then bin it.
11. galley slave#41
Yep! sounds 'bout right!
us on the outside have to pay for all the things that we want to use in this world.
On the inside everything is supplied FREE!!! to the user.
12. anonymous
Yes, bring back hanging.
Contact with families & dubuoous friends? So that they can continue to participate in or or organise criminality from within prison? Curtail their privileges. Make prison a real deterrent. So called re-habillitation schemes seem to be ineffective & useless. They are on record as having no desire to be rehabillitated. One can imagine them sending an e-mail requesting more supplies of banned substances. What raving civil servant thought that one up. Probably whilst on banned substances. So much for this governments 'Get Tough on Crime' stance. So much hot air like everthing else that they spout.
13. anonymous
Being sent to prison is supposed to be punishment for crimes committed not a free holiday camp.
How about introducing hard labour with no tv, interent etc, sorry the dogooders out there will complain that it it a breech of civil rights. how about removing all civil rights to the lowlifes who take delight in mugging old ladies or selling drugs to screw peoples lives over.
The money would be better off spent on nice shiny new gallows, and truth drugs to ensure no cockups.
14. anonymous
Bad Idea
Prisoners are incarcerated for a reason; they could not abide by the rules of society. Now they want to give them the tools to continue criminal activity even from lock-up.
Think about it. It caused problems in the California jails and now more righteous well meaning but poor thinking people want to do this elsewhere.
Let the inmates wait. Tech training? What for/ I know. So they can have an easier time commiting fraud and planning crimes when they are released.
15. A law abiding taxpayer
Make their prison number their email name before the '@prison.gov.uk' bit.
16. Another of Gordon Brown's law abiding cash cows
Ideal for letting your mates now when you'll arrive at the hospital and reminding them to bring their guns!
17. anonymous
I'm a prisoner, get me out of here...
What next, BlackBerry's and email to allow them to roam and be more mobile.
18. loriana
i think it should be allowed my husband has just gone to prison and i am so worried about him at least i would be able to have more contact with him if they could use email and that way i would be able to stop crying cos i would know he is ok all i can do right now is wait for him to ring or write or wait to visit him cos whenever i ring the prison they wont pass any messages on and they always tell me he is ok