IDOC'S "BOOB WARS" - CASUALTIES AND COSTS.
For more than a decade, and with few exceptions, the IDOC has declared war on female breasts - or, at least pictorial representations of breasts. Whether these representations are photographs, cave paintings or drawings as elementary as a stick figure with circles on the chest, IDOC staff spend hundreds if not thousands of man-hours every month scanning pages of magazines and mail (regular and electronic), searching cells and consulting with each other (how much boob is too much boob?) in an effort to determine what is and what is not allowed per SOP. Unbeknownst to IDOC staff (until now I suppose), there is a new weapon for prisoners to use in the Battle of the Nipple.
IDOC SOP prohibits prisoners from possessing or receiving "sexually explicit and pornographic material" - which includes "pictorial depictions of nudity". Nudity, as defined by (the same) SOP means "[a] pictorial depiction where male or female genitalia, anus, OR THE NIPPLE OR AREOLA OF FEMALE BREASTS ARE EXPOSED" (EMPHASIS ADDED). Depending on the subject perspective, lighting, clothing translucency and of course the inclinations/bias of the staff who look at the pictorial representation, the exact same photo may be allowed in one instance, but rejected or confiscated as contraband by another staff member in another instance.
Contraband possession by a prisoner can result in any number of sanctions, yet when a mailroom officer, after determining that a photo falls within the SOP guidelines and restrictions allows a photo to be delivered to a prisoner is subsequently confiscated by another officer, any sanction, including confiscation of the material should be considered improper - yet it continues to happen. Some prisoners have received conduct / discliplinary violation reports for these materials, reports which often lead to the loss of privileges such as recreation, commissary and visiting and have even resulted in the denial of parole. Weeks, months or even years may pass before another officer sees the depiction and writes up a discplinary report on the prisoner.
In the IDOC there are no SOP restrictions on the possession or receiving of pictorial representations of MALE breasts (or any part thereof). Call it sexist, morality or whatever you'd like, some prisoners have now recognized it as an opportunity to Free the Nipple (not associated with the celebrity FREE THE NIPPLE movement currently gaining mainstream acceptance). Over the coming months in the new year, staff can look forward to a wide variety of paper and electronic photos and videos depicting male breasts, nipples and areola indistinguishable from female body parts.
In this day and age, it is sometimes difficult to determine whether a person is male or female (from the waist up), and that fact has not been lost on prisoners who are now ordering photographs (and videos) of males who have (shall we say) naturally or artificially augumented bosoms - and, regardless of shape and/or size - are well within IDOC SOP as males. As this trend becomes more common in Idaho prisons, how are the staff to differentiate what is a "made up" male with long hair, female features and mannerisms and a natural born (or transgender) woman?
Attempts to eradicate the boobs and nipples from history and memories of prisoners have had many justifications spewed by prison administrators around the country, from rehabilitative process to female guards being threatened or embarassed by seeing photos of female nakedness in possession of prisoners while in their presence. While many courts have upheld these decisions as "within the sound, professional discretion and province of prison officials" (i.e., courts don't want to step on toes of prison administrators), the times and the temperament of the public (and the courts) have changed. No longer is government repression of sexuality looked upon as morality enforcement, but rather as a lack of tolerance and hateful, unnecessary denial of human rights and individual freedoms.
IDOC administrators are facing the future - already the lines between genders is blurred, and the days of simply attempting to determine how much of a boob can be seen, and from what angle is the least of the problems staff will face. My suggestion? Leave the boobs alone and concentrate on other things (if you know what I mean). If you can't figure that one out for yourselves, there is a book I would recommend - it's called Gray's Anatomy.
DS
IDOC SOP prohibits prisoners from possessing or receiving "sexually explicit and pornographic material" - which includes "pictorial depictions of nudity". Nudity, as defined by (the same) SOP means "[a] pictorial depiction where male or female genitalia, anus, OR THE NIPPLE OR AREOLA OF FEMALE BREASTS ARE EXPOSED" (EMPHASIS ADDED). Depending on the subject perspective, lighting, clothing translucency and of course the inclinations/bias of the staff who look at the pictorial representation, the exact same photo may be allowed in one instance, but rejected or confiscated as contraband by another staff member in another instance.
Contraband possession by a prisoner can result in any number of sanctions, yet when a mailroom officer, after determining that a photo falls within the SOP guidelines and restrictions allows a photo to be delivered to a prisoner is subsequently confiscated by another officer, any sanction, including confiscation of the material should be considered improper - yet it continues to happen. Some prisoners have received conduct / discliplinary violation reports for these materials, reports which often lead to the loss of privileges such as recreation, commissary and visiting and have even resulted in the denial of parole. Weeks, months or even years may pass before another officer sees the depiction and writes up a discplinary report on the prisoner.
In the IDOC there are no SOP restrictions on the possession or receiving of pictorial representations of MALE breasts (or any part thereof). Call it sexist, morality or whatever you'd like, some prisoners have now recognized it as an opportunity to Free the Nipple (not associated with the celebrity FREE THE NIPPLE movement currently gaining mainstream acceptance). Over the coming months in the new year, staff can look forward to a wide variety of paper and electronic photos and videos depicting male breasts, nipples and areola indistinguishable from female body parts.
In this day and age, it is sometimes difficult to determine whether a person is male or female (from the waist up), and that fact has not been lost on prisoners who are now ordering photographs (and videos) of males who have (shall we say) naturally or artificially augumented bosoms - and, regardless of shape and/or size - are well within IDOC SOP as males. As this trend becomes more common in Idaho prisons, how are the staff to differentiate what is a "made up" male with long hair, female features and mannerisms and a natural born (or transgender) woman?
Attempts to eradicate the boobs and nipples from history and memories of prisoners have had many justifications spewed by prison administrators around the country, from rehabilitative process to female guards being threatened or embarassed by seeing photos of female nakedness in possession of prisoners while in their presence. While many courts have upheld these decisions as "within the sound, professional discretion and province of prison officials" (i.e., courts don't want to step on toes of prison administrators), the times and the temperament of the public (and the courts) have changed. No longer is government repression of sexuality looked upon as morality enforcement, but rather as a lack of tolerance and hateful, unnecessary denial of human rights and individual freedoms.
IDOC administrators are facing the future - already the lines between genders is blurred, and the days of simply attempting to determine how much of a boob can be seen, and from what angle is the least of the problems staff will face. My suggestion? Leave the boobs alone and concentrate on other things (if you know what I mean). If you can't figure that one out for yourselves, there is a book I would recommend - it's called Gray's Anatomy.
DS