Magilligan DVD menu 'crime fest'

CRIMINALS at HMP Magilligan are gorging on a celluloid diet of gangster movies, ultra violent slasher flicks and even a film portraying one of the most famous jailbreaks in history, whilst undergoing rehabilitation at the County Londonderry prison.

A glimpse of the DVD menu at the Magilligan tuck shop reveals a wide variety of films with a distinctly anti-social message.

Prisoners supposed to be preparing for a return to life on the outside are regularly studying such lawless classics as The Godfather, Casino, Scarface, Carlito's Way, Heat, Snatch, American Gangster and Miami Vice.

A compendium of the Greatest Gangster Movies is even available for prisoners who like their depictions of violent criminality condensed into one evening's worth easily digestible delinquency.

This is notwithstanding findings suggesting violent movies may increase hostile feelings and aggressive behaviour and that people who watch excessive amounts of television are likely to commit crime at a rate higher than those who watch less.

Worryingly the Point Road inmates are also accessing some of the goriest slasher movies ever made.

Ultra-violent horror Saw V and vintage Canadian gore-fest My Bloody Valentine, now containing an additional nine minutes of obscenity cut from the original by censors because it was deemed too bloody, are available for rental in the jail.

Felon, Bangkok Dangerous, Bronson, Midnight Meat Train, Reservoir Dogs, Shrooms, The Boston Strangler, The Killing Room, The Wire, Thick as Thieves and The Usual Suspects are also available giving a further flavour of what might be going on in some prisoners' heads.

And hopefully the inclusion of Steve McQueen's classic portrayal of real life French hood Henri Charrire's escape from the Devil's Island penal colony in Papillion on the DVD rental list isn't tempting fate too much.