Videogame Consoles Banned In UK Prisons News

UK tabloid The Sun is today reporting on the decision to ban videogame consoles from the country's prisons, amidst fears that they could be used to co-ordinate terror attacks. The article alleges that the ability to send and receive radio signals in consoles such as the Xbox 360, PlayStation3 and Nintendo DS (presumably the PSP as well), is the reason behind the decision.

Curiously, The Sun also alleges that the ageing PlayStation2 could be used in a similar manner, although we'd doubt there's too many traditional Ethernet wired connections required by the PS2 lying around in UK prisons.

Speaking to TVG, a spokesperson for the Ministry of Justice issued the following statement:

The Prison Service necessarily keeps establishments alert to developments which might affect their security, or the safety of staff and prisoners. The Security Bulletin is widely distributed, though it is for Prison Service staff only.

A decision was taken some years ago that the then current generation of games consoles should be barred because the capability to send or receive radio signals is an integral part of the equipment. Future games consoles with this ability are also likely to be banned. This ban currently applies to Xbox 360, Playstation 3 and Nintendo DS.

The same capability can occur with the Playstation 2, but an additional piece of equipment is needed to send or receive such signals. The Playstation 2 has been in the prison estate for some time, though without this signal capability, and prison establishments are able to make risk assessments as to whether to grant access to Playstation 2s.