According to a report from the Associated Press, A Wisconsin inmate serving a life sentence for first-degree murder has recently lost his legal battle to play Dungeons and Dragons in prison.
Prison officials enacted the ban [on Dungeons and Dragons] in 2004 after an inmate sent an anonymous letter expressing concern about Singer and three other inmates forming a “gang” focused around playing the game.Singer was told by prison officials that he could not keep the materials because Dungeons & Dragons “promotes fantasy role playing, competitive hostility, violence, addictive escape behaviors, and possible gambling,” according to the ruling. The prison later developed a more comprehensive policy against all types of fantasy games, the court said.The appeals court said the prison’s policy was reasonable and did not violate Singer’s rights.“After all, punishment is a fundamental aspect of imprisonment, and prisons may choose to punish inmates by preventing them from participating in some of their favorite recreations,” the court said.
At first we were feeling a bit sympathetic for Mr. Singer and his “gang” of nerdy prisoners, untilwe read this little juicy tidbit:
Singer was sentenced to life in prison in 2002 after being found guilty of first-degree intentional homicide in the killing of his sister’s boyfriend. The man was bludgeoned to death with a sledgehammer.
This made us realize that the world might just be a better place without a Dwarven Fighter that can’t distinguish between bringing the fight to real life and bringing the fight to the next GenCon.
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