Michigan inmates can't see 'Prison Break'

The Michigan Corrections Department has deemed the new Fox TV series "Prison Break" unacceptable for viewing in state jails and prisons.

A system wide blackout was ordered Friday, which means Michigan's 50,000 inmates will not be able to watch the series about a man who goes to prison undercover to help his brother get off death row, the Detroit Free Press reported Saturday.

A department spokesman told the Free Press such a blackout was unusual, but he said it made sense, since officials don't want their inmates watching elaborate escape plans being drawn up -- let alone scenes of prison riots.

The show -- which premieres Monday night on Fox -- is set at a fictional prison and is being filmed in a retired facility in Joliet, Ill. The series is not being blocked in Illinois penal institutions, a spokeswoman told the Free Press.

© Copyright 2005 by United Press International