Inmate Files Civil Rights Complaint Over Access to Porn

Friday, 08 July 2011 | by Pat's Picks

What constitutes cruel and unusual punishment is subjective. But for one Michigan inmate it’s crystal clear. The Detroit Free-Press says inmate Kyle Richards has filed a civil rights complaint accusing the state’s Department of Corrections of “creating sexual and sensory deprivation.” How? By denying him access to porn. The 21-year-old inmate, who has had three other claims dismissed as frivolous, has about three weeks to pay the $350 filing fee for the complaint. Richards wants the state to allow access to “personal televisions, video game systems, portable/handheld video games, radios, and erotic/pornographic material.” And not just for those who can afford them. He also says “indigent inmates should be allowed to be loaned or donated such items.”