I was thinking the same thing. I see this as a massive misappropriation of tax payers' funds. I don't know what the accountants would say on the issue, but I'd imagine that isolation has a higher cost to the tax payer than general population since the convict needs everything brought to them in special quarters built to what I can only assume is a higher standard. A simple firewall with some sort of websense technology should be more than satisfactory to limit the use of these networks by the inmates. I'm sure it's an issue of "If you build a bigger mouse trap, I'll build a bigger mouse", but there is definitely a finite number of social networking sites out there and I'm pretty sure that there's a room full of near-slaves working in a sweatshop somewhere in the East which are constantly updating those web sense filters. Here's an even better idea, why not actually track HTTP POST requests to unknown sites as well. This way, when the inmate clicks a button to post something and the websense filter doesn't know how to handle that request, an administrator somewhere on duty will immediately see their screen and then click whether it should be allowed or not. This will allow the inmates to apply to online universities to assist in their rehab while mindless blocking known "Red Zones" like Facebook. I can't imagine that we'd need more than one person on duty for an entire prison corporation during one shift per day ....

To OP there that thinks it's so they can't run a criminal business, in some form or another gang leaders have been running their organizations from behind bars in some cases decades before the creation of the internet. What's the difference?

Self inflicted and well deserved.

What, is there a sale on Loch Ness Munchies or something?

Even in Asia? Is it still the hetero while man's fault?

The top fashion designers are men, they have a penis.

When I was super shy, I hit community college. I had social phobia. And like a death sentence, I was told in front of the entire class by a teacher that, "You will never become an engineer." The whole room when quiet. Even my fellow students were in shock someone would be so blatant. Well, I've got my degree and offered to start a Ph.D in Robotics, so that woman can suck a bag of moth balls.

thanks for the info, ive been confused all day with the static page at work, i thought maybe they got sick of me on here!

That's my point thought defendants have right to defend themselves. When does covering up evidence gathering methods serve a legitimate judicial use? Why would hiding the methods used to gather evidence be necessary unless for example the government did something illegal?

In a free society with an adversarial justice system based on the presumption of innocence, what legitimate goals are furthered by secrecy around evidence gathering methods?