do inmates watch prisonbreak

Do Inmates watch Prisonbreak?

What do inmates watch on TV?

Well, it is 10:45pm on Old Christmas, as I watch the Christmas tree

for the last time....

(sniff, sniff)

Currently the Steelers are trailing the Jaguars 28-17 with 11 minutes

left in the game, and I am wondering if the game is now over. I will

have to keep an eye on it.

But it had me thinking about something some of you might wonder about.

What DO inmates watch on television? Would they be watching the same

game I am watching?

It makes for some interesting conversation because there are a couple

rules of thought; the stereotype of what inmates MIGHT watch and the

idea that it is possible to find a way to interact with your loved one

through television.

I'll explain that in a sec, gotta check the score...

Pittsburgh scores and gets two point conversion, 28-25....

Anyway, before I continue, let me first share with you some of the

things I watched through the course of the day, and then compare that

to what an inmate might watch. Don't laugh at what I share!

Early this morning I watched the Weather Channel to find out what was

going on in our area, then I turned to Boomerang to watch Tom and

Jerry...

Hey, stop laughing at me!

Then later on I watched the International Bowl on ESPN2 (Rutgers vs.

Ball State), while flipping to a basketball game that I can't

remember. I watched that and a couple of other basketball games until

about 4:30 when the NFC Wildcard game on NBC came on (Seattle Seahawks

beat the Washington Redskins), then watched a show on Discovery

Channel about Dangerous Animals.

I watched Showtime Boxing at about 9pm while flipping back to the AFC

Wild Card game (Pittsburgh Steelers vs. Jacksonville Jaguars), which

is where I currently am. The boxing match went 12 rounds and wasn't as

eventful as I thought it would be.

So that's what I have watched throughout the day.

Could an inmate have done the same?

That is a very relative question, because the first thing we have to

understand is HOW inmates watch television. It's not the same

everywhere. For example, in NC prisons, some prison camps actually

have cable. Most don't. I oughta know, I was on a camp that had cable,

and it was like a dream.

But in other states, inmates may have to buy their own televisions.

This isn't allowed in NC, as the only thing we can buy is one of them

cheap RCA radios and Converse shoes.

So remember that what I share is very relative as to the access an

inmate actually has to watch television. But let's just assume that in

most prisons there are dayrooms, and in those dayrooms there is

usually a television for the inmates to watch.

Of course, this gets complicated if we are talking about prison cells

and stuff, but just go with what I am sharing for the moment.

Assuming that inmates can watch television, what would they watch? Let

me add this as well, if this is true, then a dorm of inmates can't

watch what they want, because you might have 20-40 guys wanting to see

different things. So each dorm has an assigned list of programs

determined by other inmates on the television committee. This kinda

gets more complicated, but I want to focus more on just what inmates

watch.

So again, what would an inmate watch? Would they watch PrisonBreak or

some of those prison reality programs on Discovery Channel? It really

all depends on the camp, the dorm and the persons in there.

But since most prisons don't have cable, you might have to rule out

any programs on Discovery Channel, Cartoon Network, Boomerang, EPSN,

and Showtime. This of course leaves you with the NBC, CBS, ABC, FOX,

UPN and a few others like PBS.

With that in mind, let us not lose sight that as we speak, there is a

football game on NBC, so it is very likely that many inmates would be

watching that football game as we speak.

And speaking of which, Pittsburgh did not get that 2 point conversion,

so the score is 28-23.

I personally didn't watch a lot of television in the evening when I

was in prison, I just wasn't so much into nighttime drama. But I do

know that there would be a lot of guys watching the game right now. If

they weren't there would likely be something else on another channel.

Wait, score just changed...Pittsburgh up 29-28!

There are certainly a lot of things that inmates can watch, and keep

in mind that these guys need the escape from the realities of prison,

so many guys spend a lot of time watching television. But this is also

something you can take advantage of, if you want to find something in

common to talk to them about.

Perhaps the most common thing you can have with your loved one is what

they see on television. Let's face it, the game is being played in

prison just as well as it could be playing in your home. If your loved

one is a sports fan, why not watch a little bit of the game so you can

have something to chat with him about.

I mean, think about it, what ELSE are you going to talk about that is

neutral, but shows some form of bonding? If your loved one sees that

you are taking an interest in something he or she is also interested

in, then it immediately creates a common bond that the both of you can

talk about. And sometimes neutral conversation is the best thing you

can do to bridge the gap between you and your loved one.

But what if he isn't into sports? Fine, there are other things on

television, right? Find out what he watches, and try to make plans to

check out a program or two of that. If you loved one watches Prison

break (I am only using it as an example, I have not watched that show

yet) ,then take the time to watch one of those shows..

I wonder if FOX will pay me for saying that....

Or, if your loved one likes "Heroes" why not check that show out. Or

even a game show, how about "Deal or No Deal" or something like that.

To be sure, there are things that the both of you may be able to come

together on. And think about it, if you take to the same show, you

might be able to share more info with him in case he missed a show or

two, or caught on to a show late in the season.

Think about it, what if your loved one started watching "Heroes" in

mid season. He might love the show, but have a lot of questions. You

would be in a perfect position to talk to him about the show, and fill

in those gaps so he can better understand the plots of the story.

But you are doing something more important...you are bonding with him,

and creating a positive interaction that he needs, as well as you.

Instead of talking about the negatives of both of your lives and what

he is going through, why not find some island of comfort that the both

of you can come to and have comfort. It would almost be like two

friends talking and enjoying each other's company.

Something both of you can use.

I remember my older brother telling me about the NBA draft and who was

picked, and I wrote down the names and shared it with the other guys

in the dorm. It was a neutral subject, but trust me, it was worth it's

weight in gold because it was not a burden to know. It wasn't about my

charge, it wasn't about how everybody missed me, it wasn't about how

bad prison was, it wasn't about anything like that.

So if you ask me if inmates watch television, I think most do. If you

asked me what they watched, well, you know I can't answer that. But I

can say that if they are watching television, it gives you an

invaluable venue to find a common ground and share with him or her

when you talk on the phone or at visitation.

So as I keep an eye on the last 4 minutes of the AFC Wild Card game,

with my Christmas tree on for the last time, think about that.

Oh, I encourage you to ask me about my Grades of Honor Books. If you

have not read the blog before this, it will give you more info about

it. Oh well, gotta go.