Jail Pornography Case: Inmate Says Lack Of Porn Violates Constitution

MOUNT CLEMENS, Mich. -- A Michigan jail inmate says he's being subjected to cruel and unusual punishment because he can't have pornography.

In a handwritten lawsuit, 21-year-old Kyle Richards claims his civil rights are being violated at the Macomb County Jail. Richards says denying his request for erotic material subjects him to a "poor standard of living" and "sexual and sensory deprivation."

The Michigan Department of Corrections tells The Detroit News that prisons allow some pornographic material, though it's banned at the jail. The American Civil Liberties Union says prisons have a lot of leeway.

Richards was charged with bank robbery after police followed a trail of snowy footprints and dropped money to his apartment from a bank robbery scene in January in Fraser, north of Detroit.

Richards pleaded guilty. Sentencing is Aug. 2.

Comments

[stopnlisten]

12:25 PM on 07/10/2011

He won't need reading material. I'm sure his new friends will keep him company. Prison folks are nice like that.

[dcommonsense]

10:30 AM on 07/06/2011

Why do prisoner's have such trouble understanding that prison is a punishment? Don't do the crime if you don't want to do the time!

On the flip side of the coin, I've heard three people just this week state that, in this economy, they feel they would be better off committing a crime and going to jail so they would be assured of a bed, food and health insurance.

I firmly believe the United States is the greatest country in the world, but we still need a heck of a lot of improvement. The biggest thing I think we can do is quit whining on blogs and do something about the problems we see.

[walkinthedogdude]

03:51 AM on 08/13/2011

Let's see: That bed is a rubber mattress filled with sawdust; that food consists mostly of pork in more varieties than Julia Child ever dremed of. Best of all though is that healthcare they got going in there. Wait in line for hours and get two aspirin for your bleeding ulcers. Yeah, a real frickin' vacation.

[YOKEL13]

05:46 PM on 07/05/2011

The court should order him to use his imagination!

[Pray4Peace]

03:06 PM on 07/05/2011

TO THE POSTER PRAISING ARIZONA'S PRISONS: You may remember the mentally ill woman who was serving time in an Arizona prison for drug use and prostituti­on. She was left in an outside cage until she died of heat exhaustion­. Anything that sounds too outlandish to be true, is usually not true. In this case, it was widely reported by respected sources. Please look it up.

Thank God the Supreme Court upheld the Constituti­on and California will have to reduce the number of prisoners it packs in like cattle at feedlots. Hopefully, it will start looking into Arizona's Gulags next.

TO THE POSTERS WANTING PRISONERS TO WORK: We all need work for self esteem and prisoners almost all want even the most menial job. Prisons are so crowded there are not enough jobs to go around. Private companies raise heck when prisons try to contract for work that private companies could contract for.

[Pray4Peace]

02:49 PM on 07/05/2011

Thank God the Supreme Court upheld the Constitution and California will have to reduce the number of prisoners that are packed like cattle at feedlots. The failed criminal justice and incarcertaion systems are stealing our children's education and the good quality of life that California was known for before it became the "State of Higher Incarceration".

FOLLOW THE MONEY.
Who profits from failed criminal justice and horrifically overcrowded prisons that are bankrupting states across the nation?

District attorneys and prosecutors who are promoted for winning cases and harsh sentences at any cost;
Tough-on-crime scare tactic politicians hoping for votes;
Guard employee unions;
For-profit-contract-bed-privatized-corporation prisons that profit not from reforming people, but when the recidivism rate goes up;
Parole department in California where everyone released is on parole;
Three strikes law that sends people to prison for 25+ years over petty crimes;
The bail bond industry that benefits from unnecessary criminal justice practices that increase incarceration;
Rigged line-ups that get faulty convictions and promotions;
Private companies that raise heck when prisons try to contract for prison labor so prisoners can work;
Requirement to check prior-arrest/conviction boxes on employment, government, and rental applications for those who have been crime-free for years;
The list goes on.....

[ajinnyc]

01:36 PM on 07/05/2011

Give him all the porn he want's - just make sure it's Gay porn. It's like Faust - be careful what you wish for.

[60699]

01:25 PM on 07/05/2011

If he can take it all the way to the Supreme Court, and argue it before Clarence Thomas, well, he might just have a chance!

[gtoya1331]

12:03 PM on 07/05/2011

First laugh of the day

[Myra Blackburn]

11:29 AM on 07/05/2011

One more thought, all jails should be like the one in Arizona. Inmates their live in tents out in the desert, wear pink jumpsuits, get bolonga sandwiches. One time when an inmate complained about living in tents in the desert, the sherriff told him our soldiers do it so can you. This place has very few returning.

[Myra Blackburn]

11:25 AM on 07/05/2011

I just don't understand people who break the law and are in jail or prison, demanding rights. They get food, clothing, shelter, recreational activities, but demand more. You broke the law, so therefor you have no more demands, all your basics are covered. Damn, maybe alot more of us should break the law and go to prison, free clothes, free food, go to college for free, etc. then we wouldn't have to work to pay for all those freebies prisoners get.

[smbiggs]

12:10 PM on 07/05/2011

Sounds like you've never been in jail. For your sake, I hope you never have the bad luck to be in the wrong place at the wrong time; prisons are full of people waiting for the system to slowly discover it made a mistake.

And let me tell ya--it ain't nearly as "fun" as you make it sound. Perhaps you should try it yourself and see!

[Frederick Szczepanski]

09:54 AM on 07/06/2011

I agree with smbiggs. Myra, check it out sometime. You sound jealous.

[theHOLEtruth]

07:17 PM on 07/05/2011

I've worked in prisons, and trust me, they have more rights than you and they're always the victim never the victimizer [and when they do admit to having victimized others, it's usually because they're looking at facing the parole board and s/he has learned in their various groups, designed to rehabilitate them, all the catch words to provide an illusion that they've seen the error of their ways.]

What a joke.

[PiperSniper]

10:40 AM on 07/05/2011

Mom must be so proud

[wayne the pain]

10:31 AM on 07/05/2011

How can there be a lack of porn anywhere? I keep reading that you can get any drug you want in prison. You can't tell me that if you can get cocaine and heroin in prison that you cant get porn.

[terrisca]

09:50 AM on 07/05/2011

More playboy covers please. I'm in Quentin.

[ijrignacio]

09:31 AM on 07/05/2011

They have too much already - Same old saying different day. They violate people, scare someone near to death, steal, rob, rape, murder, destroy other peoples lives, families, property and they want rights. New law should be passed-u get convicted of a felony-no nothing while you do your time. All bets are off. Anyone who has had a low life like this idiot hurt their family or a loved one should understand what I'm saying. Lock them up, stay locked up untill it's time to get out and let me see how fast you'll break the law again. Jail has become a vacation home for these SOB's and the ACLU has helped them live a better life than a lot of Americans that work for a living and decent life. Screw him, the ACLU and the rest of the CS's such like him

[fstrthnu4]

09:01 AM on 07/05/2011

Pssst! Mr or Ms moderator, I posted my own comment several minutes prior to replying to someone else's post. Why has my reply posted before my own post? It was clean, correct and non-offensive. *scratches head*

Respectfully,

Fellow follower