Inmates forced to pedal to watch TV

http://www.news.com.au/weird-true-freaky/sheriff-joe-arpaio-makes-maricopa-county-inmates-pedal-to-watch-tv/story-e6frflri-1225850495493

                                        **               A US county sheriff has started a program he calls "Pedal Vision", in which inmates pedal stationary bikes to generate electricity for television sets.**


            The bikes are customised to turn on connected TV sets once inmates at Phoenix's [Tent City Jail ](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tent_city)pedal enough to generate 12-volts of electricity. An hour of pedalling equals an hour of television.

Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio said inmates only will be able to watch television if they choose to pedal.
He said he started the program with female inmates because they seemed more receptive.
Sheriff Arpaio said the only exercise female inmates have been getting is speed-walking around the tent yard.

Should make the rest of the world do the same thing.. lazy bastard humans.

Genius. Surely it'll piss prisoners who don't get to pedal and when they attempt some kind of change-over power will drop and viewing will cease. I predict a riot. The Sheriff will look a right bell-end then.

Mind you it will see an increase in former American prisoners competing in 2012 or 2016 (depending on when they're released) as well as numerous Tours de France/Italy/Spain.

All good, I say. Make the fuckers earn their TV time!

Great idea, but it should be an option, not the only way for them to watch. So are all the guys sat there watching television plugged into the wall, or do they not have tv? That sounds like discrimination!
Maybe they should have the women riding connected to the men's TV?

^The Yanks don't really have the best record on human rights.

Ha ha - the Conservatives will probably use this technology for people on benefits to power the UK national grid or something and tackle obesity at the same time. I suppose it would make people evaluate whether they really wanted to watch Oprah that much and also give them the encouragement to stop pedalling during commercials and save their brains from being abused even further.

Genius!

Aren't American prisons the largest workforce in the US? Don't they make an extremely large percentage of all American produced products for very low wages and no human rights?
That three strikes and you out thing as well...three crimes, any crimes at all and you get life imprisonment? What an awesome service.

edit from wiki
About 10.4% of all black males in the United States between the ages of 25 and 29 are sentenced and in prison.

hmm sounds like another thing to get shanked for "..you - pedal my TV" "er no.." stab

Inmates are lucky to have TV.

hmm sounds like another thing to get shanked for "..you - pedal my TV" "er no.." stab

hahaha

It will never catch up in the UK. They'd have to pedal as crazy to power all those game consoles.

Aren't American prisons the largest workforce in the US? Don't they make an extremely large percentage of all American produced products for very low wages and no human rights?

Isn't the whole idea of imprisonment about the suspension of citizen/human rights?
Give 'em all laptops with Facebook and lollypops!

Isn't the whole idea of imprisonment about the suspension of citizen/human rights?
Give 'em all laptops with Facebook and lollypops!

Agree!

Too many offenders get to play computer games and go on the internet in their Cell.

and the fact that offenders have to work to get some leisure time is fantastic.

Agree!

Too many offenders get to play computer games and go on the internet in their Cell.

I'd love to see one of them pedaling whilst playing on the xbox!

criminals-should just plug them into the matrix (more blade style), their bodies becoming biological batteries, their minds laid to waste...

I watched the Martix Reloaded for the first time the other night. What a fucking abomination.

Future headline- "Prisoners forced to provide pedal power throughout four year sentence- come out of jail fitter and more able to steal bikes."

I watched the Martix Reloaded for the first time the other night. What a fucking abomination.
Matrix 1 was always the best. The rest are just resting on its laurels

+1

Although the fight scene at the end of the 3rd one is quite good.

http://www.news.com.au/weird-true-freaky/sheriff-joe-arpaio-makes-maricopa-county-inmates-pedal-to-watch-tv/story-e6frflri-1225850495493

                                            **                  A US county sheriff has started a program he calls "Pedal Vision", in which inmates pedal stationary bikes to generate electricity for television sets.**


              The bikes are customised to turn on connected TV sets once inmates at Phoenix's [Tent City Jail ](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tent_city)pedal enough to generate 12-volts of electricity. An hour of pedalling equals an hour of television.

I'll take one!

I'd most happily pedal if only I wasn't forced to watch TV at the same time.

I think they got the date wrong (6 days late) on the article heading!

Inmates are lucky to have TV.

this .