Lifting in prisons

graphic from strengthtech.com

Strengthtech.com is a unique resource. For over a decade, the people behind this equipment company - Gary Polson and his wife - have been assiduously collecting information related to weightlifting in prisons and championing the value of this form of exercise for inmates. Their site has an extensive, categorized bibliography of published information. It's fascinating.

In the late 1990s, the issue of whether weightlifting was a cash cow that should be slaughtered flared up in federal legislature and subsequently the media. It isn't getting much mainstream attention these days, but apparently it's still under contention.

Here's a little editorial info from the site.

Some states

1. Ban free weights and still allow machines.
2. Limit the size of the weights available to the inmates.
3. Limit access to upper body strength building equipment
4. Ban maintenance of existing weightlifting equipment. This is done to eventually remove all the equipment by removing each item from service when it breaks.

Several states have proposed "No Frills" prison bills which in addition to banning weightlifting they

1. Ban or limit access to amenities such as television, cable TV, cigarettes, computers, conjugal visits, X rated movies, telephones, and hot plates.
2. Ban other strength building or fighting activities such as bodybuilding, boxing, karate, judo and martial arts
3. Limit access to legal research materials
4. Limit food costs to that similar to the military
5. Force inmates to pay a utility fee for their electrical appliances
6. Ban pornographic materials
7. Ban internal and external (between prisons) sports competitions