When I’m not working on this blog and not working on any nifty projects, I can be found reading other articles written by some great people. When I was sick in this weekend, I spent more time reading than anything else.
In a marathon of posts about new hobby releases or commentary, I came across a post from Commander Herald thinking it was one of their many satirical pieces, only to discover that it wasn’t. The summary of it all is that the New Mexico Deputy Director of Corrections attempted to ban Magic the Gathering from State Prisons. The reason behind the attempted ban was that it was being used as an alternate currency.
The Reddit post that is mentioned in that article is linked here. Luckily, thanks to community outreach, the decision was reversed.
This it isn’t the first time that the topic of incarceration and magic the gathering has been spoken about. Here’s a post of decks made by one Reddit user (u/HeidenOvTheNord, the account has been suspended so it’s unsure what else I could find from it. )
Here’s the post! u/HeidenOvTheNord spen t ten months inside a Texan jail playing magic from memory, as most jails (depending on the security of the jail) have limited to zero internet access.
It’s often impossible to get cards to prisons unless donated by local game stores. Many prisons and jails have strict policies in place on what can be brought into the facility. Thick papers often being limited, due to the possibility of drug smuggling.
These limitations don’t stop at just Magic, certain incarceration settings have also taken to banning other times, such as Dungeons and Dragons. Wisconsin prisons have banned Fantasy gaming materials as “inappropriate reading materials”. See point C in the picture below:
The reasoning behind it? Dungeons and Dragons could promote gang activity. Dungeon Masters could be gang leaders giving out orders. As well as escapism could lead to security threats for the prisons. My favorite is that it could be used to gamble.
Many incarcerated individuals have come up with ways to circumvent such scenarios. Dice are a popular example, as they are banned from most prisons and jails. They have used normal playing cards to act as dice or pulled numbered scraps of paper from a cup.
I honestly see such bans as a very negative thing to do. Before anyone goes “But if they wanted ____ or ____ then they shouldn’t have done a crime”, I get it a law has been broken (or wrongly accused/over-sentenced).
However, it completely negates the fact that people of color often face excessive sentences for crimes compared to their counterparts or the fact that custodial sentences can harm the chances of reducing recidivism rates.
(Here’s a meta-analysis I found to be very helpful in understanding that harsh sentences, or custodial sentencing, can increase the probability of offending again. It’s a 2021 analysis of 116 studies done on the topic.)
Or the fact that people should still be allowed basic hobbies. Such activities can reduce the chance of offending by enabling individuals to form bonds or gather skills needed once they’re outside the incarceration setting. DnD and magic can help to build skills related to socialization and teamwork. Socialization skills can help in terms of post-incarceration job hunting.
Hell, it can even help basic math skills or cognitive thinking.
It can also change the way that people view themselves, or perhaps with a guided therapist/counselor, it can help people work through prior traumas that can often correspond with crimes. There are therapeutic benefits to be had here.
The sole aim of prison isn’t just restitution but rehabilitation and reintegration. Imagine someone getting out of prison and connecting with a DnD group or attending Friday Night Magic instead of offending (of course depending on parole limitations and so on).
As a Criminologist (fun fact about me!) It always interests me how hobbies like magic can help. If anyone has any information or experiences, please contact me at creepingfreelyforscalemodels@gmail.com.
If anyone would like to discuss this, then please drop a comment below!
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Have a happy Wednesday!
— J
Creeping for Scale Models 