Accuracy of Presentation of Prison / Parole

[janeansylvester]

I am new to the Riches. I watched all of season one in a weekend (thank gods for hulu).

I am considering using this episode for a short paper in a communications class. Does anyone know if the portrayal of prison and parole in the show is accurate? I am a Crim-J student, so I am familiar with the NY prison system, which is pretty liberal, and there are some things that don't sit right. Two specific questions:

Was Dahlia's prison term state or federal? I thought she said federal at one point, but on the other hand, I didn't think fed had a parole system.

Eamon Quinn said he earned degrees from University of Phoenix while in prison. I know NY prisoners don't have internet access, so I doubt Alabama prisoners do.

[Steve]

I am not sure if there are any real professionals lingering on this forum who can actually answer your question !?

From my point of view, The Riches is a fictional TV series and as such they have certain freedoms of interpretation. I would not use a fictional show as a sole source (or any source for that matter) for a term paper on something portayed in that show.

You already pointed out a few question marks, so I would seriously consider another source of information. The show is pretty much for entertainment only.

[janeansylvester]

Just to clarify, it's a communications paper, about the media. So pointing out the inaccuracy's in the media's portrayal of prison and parole is exactly what I am looking for.

I do find Dahlia's struggle in finding a job with a criminal record to be accurate, and that is mostly what I am writing about.