Why It\u27s Illegal for Prisoners to Masturbate

Some inmates are getting thrown in solitary for seeking a little stress relief. Nine months in the hole. No books—aside from the Bible—and few breaks. It\u27s the purgatory 29-year-old Josh Richards* (behind bars on an aggravated assault charge—a shootout when he was 18) says he\u27s serving for masturbating in his prison cell. Richards claims he was recently caught masturbating for the first time in 12 years of incarceration when a female guard peeked her head in during night checks. He got a ticket—no big deal. But a short time later, when another prisoner was caught masturbating and ran off, the blame was pinned on Richards, and he was slapped with nine months in solitary confinement. I\u27m two years away from going home—I\u27m not looking for trouble—and now I\u27m in the hole and have this on my record