Prison Pete
Saturday, November 27, 2004
One man's (or woman's) great invention is an inmate's misfortune.
The following paragraph appeared in the December 2004 Inc. Magazine. On the page labeled "Five Ideas to Watch," idea #2 reads:
"Serving a Captive Audience. Headphones are headphones, right? Not in prison. Koss, the Milwaukee-based maker of audio headphones, has a model specifically designed for use behind bars. They are made from clear plastic so that prisoners can't hide drugs or other contraband in them, and include fewer metal parts that can be fashioned into weapons. The cord is also special, designed to snap in the event someone tries to strangle another person with it. Both the prison population and Koss' sales hit all-time highs this year."
I do not know if you have read any of my previous ranting about the crappy quality of the headphones that we pay S29.99 a pair for. Now I see, I was misinformed, as Rick would say. The fact that the plastic snaps in several different places and the cord shorts out and becomes disconnected from the jack is not because the headphones are pieces of junk and not even worth $5; these are cleverly designed safety features for my protection!
And here I though it was just something else to separate the inmate from his (or her) limited funds. Well, some hers [sic], Martha down at Camp Cupcake probably can spare a few extra dollars if her headphones break during the five months she is spending in her federally funded non-gated community!
Meanwhile, if somebody really wanted to cause harm, we each have at least one pair of work boots with indestructible, three-foot long laces, and a couple pairs of sneakers, also with nice long laces.
"Serving a Captive Audience. Headphones are headphones, right? Not in prison. Koss, the Milwaukee-based maker of audio headphones, has a model specifically designed for use behind bars. They are made from clear plastic so that prisoners can't hide drugs or other contraband in them, and include fewer metal parts that can be fashioned into weapons. The cord is also special, designed to snap in the event someone tries to strangle another person with it. Both the prison population and Koss' sales hit all-time highs this year."
I do not know if you have read any of my previous ranting about the crappy quality of the headphones that we pay S29.99 a pair for. Now I see, I was misinformed, as Rick would say. The fact that the plastic snaps in several different places and the cord shorts out and becomes disconnected from the jack is not because the headphones are pieces of junk and not even worth $5; these are cleverly designed safety features for my protection!
And here I though it was just something else to separate the inmate from his (or her) limited funds. Well, some hers [sic], Martha down at Camp Cupcake probably can spare a few extra dollars if her headphones break during the five months she is spending in her federally funded non-gated community!
Meanwhile, if somebody really wanted to cause harm, we each have at least one pair of work boots with indestructible, three-foot long laces, and a couple pairs of sneakers, also with nice long laces.
Comments:
I am continually amazed at the stupidity of those in charge. They never had an original idea, but got to where they are because they always agreed with someone who had an idea, be it good or bad. From your post will come the idea of velcro for your work boots and sneakers. Aren't you glad you made a contribution?
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