text: what do you think of the current prison systems?? here in england the prisoners get it easy with t.v's in their cells and computers,one prisoner complained he was getting miss treated because he had only one pillow and needed two and it was against his human rights,and he got his way,do you think prisoners should be educated so they can get a job on release or do you think they should be locked in a room the size of a box and treated like dirt?what do you think? no, inmates are not treated "too well" within the prison walls. to anyone who says differently, i'd like to know what prison have you been visiting? i'd like to arrange for a cherished friend to be transferred there! the top notch medical/dental care i'm always hearing about would be nice!he had a small cavity in one tooth and the answer was to pull the tooth, he needs to see a doctor to renew a prescription for a chronic condition (no, it's not a drug with any recreational potential, it's prilosec) but can't see the doc because he is not bleeding, and when he does get that script renewed, he'll be paying for it or rather either his mom or i will be doing so. the situation has gotten so bad with prison health care that a federal judge recently ordered the whole department into recievership. he shares a 6 x 12 cell with one other man, and counts himself lucky that there are not 3 in that cell due to the amazingly overcrowded state of the facility, he gets to leave that cell about 4 hours a day, including shower, chow, dayroom and yard time... and that is when the facility is not on lockdown due to drastic understaffing, courtesy of a hiring freeze imposed by the governor...on lockdown, it really is in the cell, 24/7, food passed through the door, etc the only thing that keeps going is the mail (and by the way, i send him paper,envelopes and postage, unless it is a letter to one's attorney of record and there is no money on one's books, the prison does not pay for letters)....the educational programs, if an inmate qualifies and if there is a slot available in the class.....and surely you see the need to try to educate these people to improve the chances of their becoming productive citizens upon release? the showers are hot and reasonably clean, but inmates buy their own soap, shampoo, toothpaste, etc. the food is a joke, and is barely legal in quantity and quality... most inmates get very creative with the top ramen that is available at the commisary... what gym/weight room are you talking about? my friend does an aerobic routine in his cell each morning and spends about half his time in the yard running his usual 3 to 5 miles, but there's no equipment available...i'm not complaining about that, but i'd like to know where you get your information.  as to other recreational activities, if there are video games, it has not been mentioned to me... television in the day room where what to watch is decided by vote...any tvs or radios in the cells were not provided by the state, either the inmate or someone like me purchased them and like quarterly packages and phone calls (collect and incredibly costly) they are a privilige that is earned... surely you can see the value of rewarding good behavior?  by the way, my friend is what they call a model inmate, he has had no disiplinary problems inside. i could go on and on, but i really want to know what prison all these stereotypes of fun and games are based on, because it sure as hell is not in california!