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Wii-Hab? Convicted Murderers Play Wii in U.K. Facility

by Amar Toor on January 5, 2010 at 09:04 AM

It's a well established law of nature that thugs, like everybody else, need love. But do they necessarily need a Wii, too? The U.K. government seems to think so.

The Sun reports that one high-security institution, home to serial killers, rapists, and murderers (oh my!), recently received £5,000 worth of taxpayer money (about $8,000) to purchase Wii consoles for their residents. Broadmoor Hospital, which technically isn't a jail, is already outfitted with XBox and PlayStation games, but a spokesperson for the center said that the Wii and Wii Fit were important for their mental and physical rehabilitation programs. As you can imagine, the news hasn't been met without its fair share of controversy, with many wondering aloud whether or not citizens should pay for criminals to be entertained.


We're not exactly hip to the whole criminal rehabilitation thing, but it seems like a bit of a stretch to say that the Wii is an integral piece to the puzzle. And even if it is, you'd think hospital officials -- wards of not just the ill, but the criminal -- would think twice before requesting them, if only for the inevitable PR backlash, not to mention the risk of tempers flaring after a heated game of 'Mario Tennis.' Call us old fashioned, but wouldn't a regular old pick-up game, or even a camaraderie-building dance sequence serve pretty much the same purpose? [From: The Sun, via: Kotaku]

Tags: criminal, nintendo wii, NintendoWii, prison, top, videogames, wii

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