UK prisons crackdown on videogames

The UK government has banned 18-rated games from prison. The document outlining the changes to the regulations, Prison Service Instruction 32/2008, says that "with immediate effect, prisoners on Basic level of IEP [the level of privileges earned through good behaviour] must not under any circumstances be allowed access to games consoles and console games save exceptionally for those under suicide prevention measures."

The document also states that, "Governors must ensure that all games consoles and console games are purchased at prisoners' own expense. No public funds must be used by establishments to purchase games consoles and equipment." Those who have reached the 'Enhanced' level of privileges -- defined by the prison service as those "who are demonstrably well-behaved, who commit to their sentence plan and fully comply with the prison regime" -- will be allowed to use consoles bought at their own expense.

The Daily Mirror reported on Friday that part of the reasoning behind the crackdown was that playing games was making prisoners more violent, going on to say, "We want inmates involved in useful activities. Spending hours in front of a games console did not qualify."

Geoff Dobson, deputy director of the Prison Reform Trust, was supportive of the move, saying to the BBC: "I don't think anyone would have a great problem with incorporating these into a good behaviour programme, but we should not forget the usefulness of these games to prison officers and governors keeping order in overcrowded prisons."

The crackdown follows widespread condemnation last year when Ian Huntley, jailed in 2003 for the murders of two 10-year-old girls, was pictured with a PlayStation. It is also a step up from the ban on PS2s at Wakefield jail in 2006 after prison authorities realised the consoles were being used to watch hardcore pornography -- though controversy dogged that move, when prisoners were given £1,800 in compensation for the removal of the hardware.

Public funds will still be available for the purchase of consoles and software in young offenders' institutions, as the ruling only covers adult prisons. That is expected to change, however, as a review is currently under way into the expenditure on such devices in such institutions after it was revealed that £10,000 had been spent buying consoles and software for inmates.