Inmate’s access to porn and their right to engage in masturbation while incarcerated has come to the forefront after a Michigan inmate filed a second lawsuit in connection with the issue.
Kyle Richards, a 22 inmate incarcerated for bank robbery, made headlines last year when he sued for lack of access to pornography, and has now sued a Detroit Fox affiliate over their coverage of the original suit, seeking $20 million and an apology.
According to The (Mount Clemens, Mich.) Daily Tribune, Richards’ new lawsuit alleges that the coverage aired July 4 by Fox affiliate WJBK was so egregious that he and his family were humiliated, and that it caused his younger sibling to be ridiculed at school.
The original lawsuit claims that Richards suffers from nervous and sexual disorders as a result of his incarceration, according to Slate, and sought pornography to address specifically his chronic masturbation syndrome.
This new lawsuit has also renewed the discussion over whether masturbation should be allowed in prison, and whether this would quell or exacerbate incidents of rape.
According to Slate, several state prison systems regard masturbation as a rule violation, with varying levels of restrictions. Tennessee, Kentucky, Ohio, Connecticut and California also restrict masturbation by inmates, claiming the bans part of a long correctional tradition barring any sexual activity, and are intended to keep order and prevent exhibitionism.