Access to video games is being leveraged to keep prisoners from misbehaving.

Should prison conditions be medieval-like to deter potential criminals or more akin to three-star hotels to prevent inmates from developing mental health issues that could lead them back to crime upon release? As the debate surrounding this question rages on, New York City’s Department of Correction recently made its stance pretty clear when it was revealed they had spent nearly $60 thousand on PlayStation games for prisoners.

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As reported by the New York Post, the DOC spent $59,260 purchasing 1,247 games for PlayStation 4 and 5, including numerous copies of Mortal Kombat 1, Street Fighter 6, Madden NFL 24, and NBA 2K24.

According to the report, access to consoles is not automatically granted to everyone. Instead, it is used strategically as leverage parents might use with their unruly children, with guards threatening to withhold console privileges if inmates violate facility rules. A correctional officer described the approach as, “Don’t misbehave this week, we’ll give you access to PlayStation or Xbox.”

Given the contentious nature of the topic of prison conditions, it was only a matter of time before the other side would begin criticizing the DOC for spending 60 grand worth of taxpayers’ money on video games for criminals:

“If anything, we’re teaching them to feel like more of a privileged criminal,” commented former Rikers correction officer Celestino Monclova. “The people getting released, they’re exhibiting the same [problematic] behavior they were thriving in jail with.”

“Surely if they have enough money for video games, there’s enough money to make sure our essential workforce remains healthy and comfortable during extreme weather conditions,” added the Head of the Correction Officers Benevolent Association Benny Boscio, referring to the recent heat wave. 

What do you think about the initiative? Can providing prisoners with access to video games reduce the crime rate in the long run? Leave your thoughts down in the comments!