Are you an inmate in a United Kingdom prison who is contemplating suicide? Why not fire up the ol’ Xbox instead? Perhaps that will you make you realize the value in your life. At least that’s what the UK Prison Service hopes.

It was recently revealed the British government had spent £10,000 ($19,908.40 USD) on PlayStations and Xboxes for juvenile detention facilities. Those games aren’t for everybody however. You can only play games if you’re on your best behavior or if you’re on the verge of killing yourself, apparently.

A recently released document regarding the use of video games in prisons stated:

“Only inmates on the highest level of Incentives and Earned Privileges (IEP) and those at risk of suicide will be allowed to play computer games.”

Video games as a reward? Absolutely. Games as a suicide-prevention tool? It’s a little odd, but hey, whatever paints games in a good light.

“I was all alone; nobody understood me. I was at the edge, man. Ready to end it all. That’s when Ratchet and Clank came into my life. Ratchet is the last of his kind, all the Lombaxes were wiped out. And I thought to myself that if Ratchet can endure, than so can I.” – Anonymous Fictional Inmate

Source: Opposable Thumbs

Tags: prison, UK, video-games

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