Pent-up

Prisoner challenges jail porn ban and says it encourages gay sex

Danny Robinson Jnr. (Photo: Nebraska Department of Correctional Services)

A prison inmate in Nebraska has launched legal proceedings to try and overturn his prison’s ban on pornographic books and magazines.

Danny Robinson Jr., 39, who is serving life for first-degree murder he committed in 2001, filed a lawsuit challenging the ban, which was introduced in January 2018.

Robinson, who is serving his time at Tecumseh State Correctional Institution, claims the ban is discriminatory, as its implementation is up to the discretion of wardens.

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He says straight men are treated unfairly as authorities confiscate material featuring women in swimsuits, but “muscle mags” with photos of shirtless men are allowed, and these may arouse gay inmates and straight female inmates.

“In an environment of desperately horny and sexually frustrated men, (prison officials) are blatantly provoking them to have sex with each other to satisfy their sexual urges,” Robinson wrote in the lawsuit, reports Associated Press.

He also says the ban is “unconstitutionally vague.”

According to the Lincoln Star, which first reported the story, before the lawsuit, Robinson filed grievances with Nebraska Department of Correctional Services, but these were denied.

He says he had previously enjoyed ordering several “Letters to Penthouse” books. The publications include descriptions of sexual encounters.

He was allowed to order them up until March this year and allowed to keep the books in his cell until May – when prison officials decided they were pornographic.

Robinson claims the ban is “unintentionally vague”, and points out jails offer romance novels and books with sex scenes in libraries, and prisoners can watch TV shows featuring nudity.

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Prison officials have previously defended the ban, telling prisoners they are committed to fostering an environment of rehabilitation: “items and activities that don’t promote pro-social behavior and thinking are a barrier to this culture,” said Nebraska’s corrections Director Scott Frakes in a statement when the ban was first introduced.

Nebraska Department of Correctional Services has not responded to the lawsuit, saying it doesn’t comment on pending legislation.

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