VH1's decision to air "Music Behind Bars"

[jerseydevil]

Tonight VH1 airs "Music Behind Bars". If you don't know what it is - it's a series of shows that looks at bands that are made up of inmates. The band members are rapists and murderers. One member murdered a 15 year old girl. I am, as well as others, outraged by this. I was wondering what others' thoughts were on this. VH1 claims it is a show to demonstrate how music helps to rehabilitate prisoners.

Music Behind Bars
Murderers. Rapists. Thieves. Guitarists. Drummers. For many prison inmates, making music is the only taste of freedom they'll ever get.

Gritty and groundbreaking, Music Behind Bars reveals the incredible true stories of bands behind bars and explores the redemptive power of music.....

No - I have not watched the show. Usually I don't judge a show until after I have seen it. The idea of the mother of the 15 year of the girl being able to see her daughter's killer having fun, on stage, on TV and "enjoying" jail time - is just too sick for words in my opinion and there is no excuse for airing it.

I posted this on the VH1 messageboard...

VH1's decision to show "Music Behind Bars" is sick and the worst public relations decision I have ever seen a company make. Even the thought of seeing these murderers up on stage enjoying life is an outrage to all victims of crimes. These are MURDERERS and should not be glorified on TV. By the many messages expressing outrage - it's good to see that I'm not the only one outraged and sickened by this decision. Whoever proposed and approved this show should be fired!!!

If VH1 airs "Music Behind Bars" I'm calling my cable company and asking them that they remove VH1 from their lineup. If you are outraged by this - hit VH1 where it hurts - the pocketbook. I call on everyone to tell their cable/satellite companies and tell them to no longer carry VH1.

MTV is still out there and at least they have not had the audacity to honor bands that are made up of a bunch of CONVICTED MURDERERS and RAPISTS.

I will be adding this to other message boards and spreading the news.

Someone has set up a petition.

Initiative:
Register to this site for a petition to be generated and mobilized in your neighborhood for VH1 to remove the airing of this video tape. If the action is not taken by VH1, request that VH1 be removed from your local cable companies program lineup. Be prepared to cancel your cable subscription if your local cable company does not adhear to your request. The mobilization to cancel cable subscriptions nationwide will be Monday, November 18, 2002. If demands are not met, we'll mobilize as one on that day to disconnect cable service. Hopefully VH1 will understand that by removing the airing of the tape and courteously apologizing, they can avoid this initiative.

I personally think that the disconnection of cable subscriptions goes too far - for one thing, cable companies have contracts with the stations they must abide by. Everything else in the petition I agree with though.

For information on the show and the crime look at - It's only rock and roll, but it's brutal. I don't agree with all the points in the article.

Family Outraged By 'Music Behind Bars'

I feel I should watch the show, but I'm torn. I can not come up with an excuse for airing this show. Maybe if peole watch it - we can discuss it under that context as to whether the show was more designed as a "jail rock concert" as has been implied, or as a documentary on "the redemptive power of music" as VH1 claims.