If you don’t have money for games, a console or a computer, one of the options is to go to prison in New York — they have everything you need. As it became known The New York Post The city’s Department of Corrections spent $59,260 of taxpayer money on new Playstation 4 and 5 games for inmates.
«There are homeless people who have nothing, but if you go to prison, you will have everything — we spent $59,000 dollars on video games!», — said one of the officers with 15 years of experience.
A huge sum that, according to city records, was used to purchase 1,247 games, including dozens of copies of bloody fighting games such as Mortal Kombat 1 and Street Fighter 6, as well as Madden NFL and NBA 2K24.
Throughout the week, groups of prisoners take turns gathering in the recreation room to play the games. According to the officer, access to consoles keeps prisoners from fighting and breaking rules. The method is particularly effective in the case of the youngest offenders.
«Don’t misbehave this week and we’ll give you access to a Playstation or Xbox», — they say in prison.
But the agency has been criticized for wasting taxpayer money on the welfare of criminals. Some call it an incentive to go back to prison for committing a crime.
«We teach them to feel more like privileged criminals,» Celestino Monclova, a former correctional officer at Rikers Correctional Facility, criticized the program.
He noted that the prisoners’ access to video games and other special privileges is contributing to a spike in crime throughout the city.
«People who are released…they demonstrate the same [problematic] behaviors that they thrived on in prison,» he said.
Benny Boschio, chairman of the Correctional Officers’ Benevolent Association, accused the agency of spending funds on games for cheaters instead of basic needs such as proper air conditioning for inmates and prison staff during the recent heat wave.
«Surely, if they have enough money for video games, they should have enough to ensure that our staff stays healthy and comfortable during extreme weather conditions», — the head of the union is indignant.
In 2018, then-city commissioner Cynthia Brann admitted that prison officials had allowed access to the consoles to force violent offenders to comply with the rules. In May 2020, the agency spent $82,500 of taxpayer dollars on Game Boys to entertain inmates — instead of providing additional face masks and COVID-19 testing kits for staff «Rikers».