Nevada Prison also bans maps of what's outside

"We'd consider a map as a part of an escape kit," says prison spokesman Glen Whorton. "If you find an attempted escape, you often find a map that people can use to meet up with other people outside."

Whorton noted that several Nevada prisons are in remote locations, and convicts don't need to know exactly where they are and what's over the next hill.

In Texas, a similar restriction recently drew a protest from a Dallas defense lawyer who said the restriction is another example of how prisons focus on punishment rather than education.

Whorton said the same reasoning on maps applies to an inmate who wanted a compass.

"There's no reason to have a compass," he said. "They don't need it to navigate around the (prison) yard."

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