prison

Latest in prison

A man has been hired to work full-time at a tech startup — while serving his 11th year in prison, checking into work from his cell.

Man in Prison Gets Hired as Software Engineer at Silicon Valley Startup, Works Every Day From Cell

By Victor Tangermann

Ingenious researchers have developed a virtual reality program that puts domestic abusers in the position of their victims.

Virtual Reality

New VR Program Gives Domestic Abusers a Taste of Their Own Medicine

By Noor Al-Sibai

After doing an unauthorized video interview with Tucker Carlson, Sam Bankman-Fried has been relegated to the great state of Oklahoma.

Sam Bankman-Fried Has Been Banished to Oklahoma

Stuck in cramped cells for days and weeks at a time, incarcerated people are being whisked away to beautiful worlds through the magic of VR.

What Are the Ethics of Strapping VR Headsets on Inmates in Solitary Confinement?

An Arizona man who's been on death row for going on two decades is begging the state's highest court to get it over with already.

Death Row Prisoner Requests to Be Executed as Soon as Possible

By Noor Al-Sibai

A prison phone company is in trouble with the feds after not only improperly securing its users' data, but also failing to alert them.

Prison Phone Company Leaked User Data and Didn’t Tell Them, FTC Says

By Noor Al-Sibai

A decades-old law was used to sentence an OTC Bitcoin trader to prison. Rizzn says more clarity around Bitcoin and blockchain law is needed.

Guy Sentenced to Prison for Changing People’s Cash Into Bitcoin

By Lonnie Lee Hood

Whistleblowers at the Arizona Department of Corrections say hundreds of inmates are being held past their release date due to buggy management software.

Science & Energy

Whistleblowers: Flawed Software Held Hundreds of Prisoners Past Release Dates

By Dan Robitzski

A team of AI scientists want to launch a well-intentioned but ethically-complicated study that involves monitoring parolees to cut down on recidivism.

Artificial Intelligence

AI Developers Want to Perform a Bizarre Study on Released Prisoners

By Dan Robitzski

The NYT reports that COVID-19 is tearing through China's prison system — a hint that even in the epidemic's epicenter, we don't understand its toll.

The Deadly Coronavirus Is Tearing Through Chinese Prisons

By Jon Christian

A massive new study found that sentencing people to jail time doesn't deter future crime any more than putting them on probation does.

New Research: Prison Time Doesn’t Actually Deter Repeat Offenders

By Dan Robitzski

Chicago is tracking teenagers who are awaiting trial with ankle monitors that can be used to call and record them at any time.

Chicago is Making Teens Wear Ankle Monitors That Record Audio

By Dan Robitzski

A number of American prisons have done away with in-person visitation, replacing it with sub-par video conferencing that generates revenue for the prison.

Prisons Are Replacing Visits With Expensive, Grainy Video Calls

By Dan Robitzski

A Chinese prison's new surveillance system will monitor inmates constantly to prevent escape attempts — but perhaps at the cost of prisoners' mental health.

Artificial Intelligence

China Is Installing “AI Guards” in Prison Cells

By Kristin Houser

Researchers in Spain plan to test transcranial direct current stimulation (TDCS) on prisoners to see if it makes them less violent.

Scientists Want to Shock Prisoners’ Brains to Fight Aggression

By Kristin Houser

Hong Kong's Correctional Services Department (CSD) has announced a plan to create smart prisons using robots, wearables, and smart cameras.

Hong Kong Has a Plan to Make All of Its Prisons “Smart”

By Kristin Houser