What Wonderful Irony

Bob Ney, former Republican Representative from Ohio, goes to prison today. In a wonderful twist of fate, he cosponsored legislation in 1995 making prison more austere for prisoners. I don't know about you, but could you go two years watchin only G and PG movies? But the most egregious: he has to eat food, of the quality and quantity, provided by Halliburton!

Here is an excerpt from the HR 663:

No Frills Prison Act - Amends the Violent Crime Control and Law Enforcement Act of 1994 to require a State, to be eligible for truth in sentencing incentive grants, to demonstrate that it: (1) provides living conditions and opportunities within its prisons that are not more luxurious than those that the average prisoner would have experienced if not incarcerated; (2) does not provide to any such prisoner specified benefits or privileges, including earned good time credits, less than 40 hours a week of work that either offsets or reduces the expenses of keeping the prisoner or provides resources toward restitution of victims, un monitored phone calls (with exceptions), in-cell television viewing, possession of pornographic materials, instruction or training equipment for any martial art or bodybuilding or weightlifting equipment, or dress or hygiene other than as is uniform or standard in the prison; and (3) in the case of a prisoner serving a sentence for a crime of violence which resulted in serious bodily injury to another, does not provide housing other than in separate cell blocks intended for violent prisoners, less than nine hours a day of physical labor (with exceptions), any release from the prison for any purpose unless under physical or mechanical restraint and under constant supervision of at least one armed correctional officer, or any viewing of television.
Directs the Attorney General to establish conditions in the Federal prison system that are, as nearly as possible, the same as those required in State prisons under this Act. ........

`(2) provides living conditions and opportunities to prisoners within its prisons that are not more luxurious than those conditions and opportunities the average prisoner would have experienced if such prisoner were not incarcerated, and does not provide to any such prisoner--
`(A)(i) earned good time credits;
`(ii) less than 40 hours a week of work that either offsets or reduces the expenses of keeping the prisoner or provides resources toward restitution of victims;
`(iii) unmonitored phone calls, except when between the prisoner and the prisoner's immediate family or legal counsel;
`(iv) in-cell television viewing;
`(v) the viewing of R, X, or NC-17 rated movies, through whatever medium presented;
`(vi) possession of any pornographic materials;
`(vii) any instruction (live or through broadcasts) or training equipment for boxing, wrestling, judo, karate, or other martial art, or any bodybuilding or weightlifting equipment of any sort;
`(viii) except for use during required work, the use or possession of any electric or electronic musical instrument, or practice on any musical instrument for more than one hour a day;
`(ix) use of personally owned computers or modems;
`(x) possession of in-cell coffee pots, hot plates, or heating elements;
`(xi) any living or work quarters into which the outside view is obstructed;
`(xii) food exceeding in quality or quantity that which is available to enlisted personnel in the United States Army;
`(xiii) dress or hygiene, grooming and appearance other than those allowed as uniform or standard in the prison; or
`(xiv) equipment or facilities at public expense for publishing or broadcasting content not previously approved by prison officials as consistent with prison order and prisoner discipline; and
`(B) in the case of a prisoner who is serving a sentence for a crime of violence which resulted in serious bodily injury to another--
`(i) housing other than in separate cell blocks intended for violent prisoners and designed to emphasis punishment rather than rehabilitation;
`(ii) less than 9 hours a day of physical labor, with confinement to cell for any refusing to engage in that labor, but a prisoner not physically able to do physical labor may be assigned to alternate labor;
`(iii) any temporary furlough, leave, excursion, or other release from the prison for any purpose, unless the prisoner remains at all times under physical or mechanical restraints, such as handcuffs, and under the constant escort and immediate supervision of a least one armed correctional officer;
`(iv) any viewing of television;
`(v) any inter-prison travel for competitive sports, whether as a participant or spectator;
`(vi) more than one hour a day spent in sports or exercise; or'.
`(vii) possession of personal property exceeding 75 pounds in total weight or that cannot be stowed in a standard size United States military issue duffel bag.'.
(b) Federal-
(1) Generally- The Attorney General shall by rule establish conditions in the Federal prison system that, as nearly as may be, are the same as those conditions required in State prisons under section 20102(a) of the Violent Crime Control and Law Enforcement Act of 1994 as amended by this section.
(2) Conforming Amendment- Section 3624 of title 18, United States Code, is amended by striking subsection (b).

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