Did you read the article? It's a COVID related restriction - not a judicial system one.

That seems like the new "reason" -- at least it's more valid than the old reason of "stopping gambling". There was a documentary, Netflix maybe?, where guards would routinely do sweeps and find any game pieces that prisoners has made - paper folded to make dice, notes and score sheets for D&D, etc

> It's a COVID related restriction - not a judicial system one.

I'm not sure what that means - just that it is an administrative restriction rather than something adjudicated in a court of law?

This doesn't make it less absurd, and might make it more.

Let the inmates decide for themselves. I’m sure they’ve had enough “we’re doing this for your own good” for a lifetime

The problem is that they're not only deciding for themselves, they're also deciding for their cellmates, and anyone else they will be in close contact with (which, in a prison, is likely "everyone")

That’s fair, I forgot how closely packed everyone is