A prison reform group is supporting the Department of Corrections' new television rental system despite complaints by some prisoners.
Auckland prisoner, Kerryn Mitchell, went to the High Court to try to keep her own television, rather than hire one from the state for $2 a week.
But Justice Kós ruled prisoners have no general entitlement to keep any particular item in their cell.
Spokesperson for the Howard League for Penal Reform Jarrod Gilbert said the new scheme does disadvantage prisoners who have bought televisions.
But he said the reasoning appears to be sound.
"All prisoners when they enter prison will now have a television and that's actually really important for people who go in on remand and perhaps don't have support on the outside because prison can be an incredibly boring place."
