D&D and violence

[Haffrung Helleyes]

Greg Stafford

I would consider contacting Greg Stafford. Back in the 80s, he was one of the leaders in the RPG community fighting against stigmatization of the game by groups like BADD ('Bothered About Dungeons and Dragons, seriously!).

I wouldn't be surprised if he had a whole file full of case studies he could point you to.

Ken

 

[Orius]

Think about it : even chained to the floor, he could enjoy sleeping...

Yup, got to chain them to the walls, like the old-school dungeons.

Seriously, I'm not advocating horrid living conditions. But they're in jail, and the warden is well within his or her right do disallow D&D, along with cable TV, porn, etc. Yeah, rehab is part of the package, but jail is also punishment and deterrance, so some unpleasantry isn't unwarrented.

 

[Wik]

Really, and this is going to make me out to be horribly uncool, but I Think that if the powers that be decide RPGs are dangerous in prisons, then so be it.

There are plenty of good things prisoners can do: libraries, school courses, and the like. And a lot of those great studies that show how positive RPGs can be tend to leave out one thing: it's in a group of people that are all there for a hobby, or for something to do on a friday night.

I'd imagine an RPG at a prison would have a lot of people who weren't there because they really wanted to kill orcs (by the way, could you imagine how violent some of these prison RPGs would get? That alone I think would give any prison guard the willies), but because they really had nothing else to do. And essentially, a bunch of people playing a game because they're bored aren't going to be developing all of those wonderful aforementioned skills. And I generally think that a group of people who are not really "people persons" in a game that generally involves just a little bit of conflict is a good idea.

I mean, it's a game where the players are supposed to work together, but sometimes that falls apart. When it falls apart at my house, we get into minor yelling matches. I've seen people get more than a ltitle angry. Now, in a prison.... that could get worse.

SO, yeah, if the powers that be say RPGs are a menace, I won't argue. That being said, if they said RPGs are a good thing, I'd be the first to say "bravo".

 

[Fallen Seraph]

Perhaps more minor-offenders or more reformed prisoners could play D&D, sorta like a privilege?

 

[akbearfoot]

It's true that prisons have the ability to control/deny certain rights, in order to facilitate punishment/deterrance. However they have rules in place to control what/when/where they can excercise such options. They can't just decide to put someone in solitary because they feel like it, for example. Prisons can face liability when they do not enforce their rules equally.

If a prisoner is allowed to own/order books, then he should be able to own/order a D&D book...Or have a spouse bring one to him. If they say you can't own those particular books, and their only reason is because they contain violence, then I would expect most other books, basic cable, and most video games to similarly be banned.

Same goes for pencils and paper. If the specific prison does not allow them, then that is out of their control, but I honestly never considered that there could be many prisons with such tight security that inmates aren't allowed to write....logically they must also be forced to eat all food with their fingers since eating utinsils would be right out.

Similarly, if prisoners are allowed to spend time together in any sort, then I don't see what's to keep them from gathering to play D&D...Technically all they are doing is talking. In prisons where no one is allowed to speak then this might be an issue

If joe bob and his gang of hoodlums can take over the gym for 2 hours, then why can't my friends and I sit at this table and have a conversation for 2 hours? Because you felt like telling us no? Because we were commiting some sort of thought crime? Because umm...imagining stuff is against the rules?

 

[RangerWickett]

Bugaboo's Friends GM Network should set up an arrangement with prisons to have their GMs run games for prisoners. It would be a charitable donation that the company could use as a tax break.

By having a non prisoner run the game, you minimize some of the danger. You have one set of dice, and at the end of each session you make sure to collect all the dangerous game materials. You could even arrange for games that don't have quite the violent tendencies of a traditional game, focusing more on exploration, avoiding danger, and occasionally fighting non-intelligent monsters. Basically, it'd be like running D&D for elementary school kids, since both groups are impressionable.

 

[Wiseblood]

I am involved in a dispute with my state's department of corrections (they run the prisons). A client, who is a prisoner, wants to play D&D with his buddies in prison. Big surprise, they won't let him. A large part of this is due to concerns that D&D will lead to violence and gang activity, disconnect with reality, and disrespect for authority. In order to effectively challenge the stance of the prison officials, we may need an expert to testify.

Therefore, I am looking for someone who might qualify as an expert in order to address these matters. If you know of anyone who has done research on this topic, or who is a psychologist who works or plays with the game, please let me know.

They ask security people from GenCon Indy and then security from Colts games. When they ask how many fights they broke up they might allow D&D and ban sports lol.

 

[prospero63]

I'm certainly no psychology expert... but prison is supposed to be a punishment. Disallowing D&D (and X-boxes, and hundreds of other enjoyable activities) seems entirely appropriate to me. People aren't supposed to enjoy their time in prison.

I'll use this as a shield to say I agree. It's friggin prison. It's not supposed to be fun.

 

[The Grumpy Celt]

Judging by what some people seem to be writing here...

Not only is that a gross and unfair distortion of what some of the board members have posted here it is also the kind of polemical statement that draws the attention of the moderators and invokes the ban hammer. There is no point to it except to be insulting and divisive.

The OP asked about people who could function as expert witnesses in the case. He got (American) names like;

The Committee for the Advancement of Role-Playing Games
Michael Stackpole
Gary Gygax
Greg Stafford

In any event, how are D&D games supposed to help with prisoner rehabilitation?

 

[davidschwartznz]

In any event, how are D&D games supposed to help with prisoner rehabilitation?

RPGs. like psychological roleplaying exercises, can help people see things from other people's points of view, and thus improve their social skills. If it can work for nerds, I don't see why it can't work for cons.