Prisoners Say We Want Our Porn

A group of Connecticut State Prison inmates has started a letter-writing campaign to head off what they say will be an unfair ban on pornography inside that state’s correctional institutions.

The Connecticut Department of Correction recently announced it will be banning all material with “pictorial depictions of sexual activity or nudity” from the prisons beginning next summer.

The department has received several dozen letters from inmates claiming the ban will violate their First Amendment rights.  Many of the letters are form letters.

In what amouns to a "preemptive" strike, the inmates suggest either cancelling the ban, or providing alternatives such as cable TV programming with nudity and sexual activity.

Prison officials say banning pornography will improve the work environment for prison staff members, especially women employees who might be exposed to it.

Officials also say access to pornography is inconsistent with the prison's rehabilitative efforts, especially its work with sex offenders.

The inmates say not allowing access to porn violates their first amendment rights, and they hint they will file lawsuits if they don't get their way.

via Connecticut Prisoners Express Anger Over Porn Ban « CBS Connecticut.

What do you think?  Should prison inmates be allowed access to hard core pornography at taxpayer expense?  Is banning porn from prisons a violation of inmates' constitutional rights?