From a variety of gaming consoles and musical instruments to decorations and clothing, a list of surprising items that serving prisoners are able to get their hands on has been revealed.
Last month, a Liverpool man was found with an iPhone hidden inside his Xbox console and drugs in his prison cell. John Barr, originally of Southwood Road, was a serving prisoner at HMP Berwyn in North Wales when he was caught.
However, readers could not seem to get their heads past one particular part of the story, North Wales Live reports, and that was the fact he had a gaming console in his cell. However, he was perfectly entitled to have it.
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According to Freedom of Information data, there is a comprehensive list of items that the current HMP Berwyn governor, Nick Leader, would have approved for prisoners to obtain, ranging from musical instruments and gadgets to home furnishings in order to personalise their cell.
HMP Berwyn houses a number of Liverpool inmates and is one of the closest prisons to the city. Prisoners can earn money towards certain items by activities such as work, education and training.
NorthWalesLive has put together a list of items that you may not have realised that prisoners could get their hands on:
Gaming Consoles:
"Enhanced" serving inmates who earn enough have a variety of devices supplied by Gema Records to choose from including Xboxes and PlayStations. They will not connect to the internet and have USB ports blocked. Prisoners can have up to 30 disc-based games but 18+ rated games are not permitted whatsoever.
The full approved list includes a Microsoft Xbox (without network adaptor & associate cabling), Microsoft Xbox 360, Sony PlayStation 1, Sony PlayStation 2 (without network adaptor & cabling), Nintendo Game Cube (without modem or broadband adaptor & cabling), Nintendo GameBoy, Nintendo GameBoy Colour (without infrared port), Nintendo GameBoy Advance, Nintendo GameBoy Advance SP, Nintendo GameBoy Micro and Nintendo SNES Classic.
Music and DVD Players:
All inmates can work their way towards getting a personal sound system. Anyone that chooses a stereo, CD or cassette player from the prison shop signs a form agreeing to keep the noise levels sensible.
Any CDs or cassettes that a prisoner's device needs will come from their 30 disc allowance. One set of headphones is also allowed but they cannot be wireless or Bluetooth powered.
Enhanced prisoners may want to buy themselves a DVD or Blu Ray Player to keep in their room and will be allowed a choice of films but those discs will come out of any CD or video games they have already bought.
Hobby Items:
The more creative prisoners can buy themselves some art supplies including paint and canvases as well as kits for sewing or model making. Musically-minded men can pick up one of the following instruments - a guitar, keyboard, recorder, flute or harmonica.
Health enthusiasts may want to go a bit beyond the permitted exercise that Berwyn staff allow. If they have the cash, they can buy things such as protein powder, weight training equipment, football gear and yoga mats.
Cell Decorations:
Any inmate can pick up a poster for their wall. However, they will have to be small enough to fit on the room's notice board (120cm x 60cm) and not have any offensive slogans or content.
For enhanced status residents, more options to customise their cell are available. They can buy things like alarm clocks, lamps, desk fans and a choice of bedding to keep them warm at night.
Clothing:
The inmates can request a clothing parcel once or twice a year. Prisoners can request up to seven pairs of pants - including jeans, tracksuit bottoms and shorts - and they will also have a rotation of 10 tops - including jumpers, t-shirts and shirts. They can complete their prison-approved look with up to three pairs of trainers they can keep in their cell.
Most types of garment and accessories have some form of restriction. Belt buckles must be a certain size and warm winter coats cannot be certain colours. Inmates are also provided with a full suit - but that is not for everyday use. These are kept specifically for any funerals or court appearances.
