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Virtual Reality is breaking boundaries and giving prisoners a second chance.

Virtual Reality Behind Bars

By IGI Global Author Relations Team on Jun 22, 2017
Virtual Reality in prisions Virtual reality (VR) is taking over the technology industry and infiltrating its way into classrooms, businesses and homes alike. But what happens when this technology is taken behind bars?

When VR first emerged in 2010, the technology quickly advanced and was introduced as an emerging method for training and skill development. From athletic advancements to corporate training, this immersive 360-degree technology utilizes video simulations that can transport the user into a different world. Now, the technology is making its way into prison systems and giving inmates a second chance.

Prisoners can immerse themselves in life-like vocational training, field trips and educational simulations using VR. It is breaking down language barriers and cognitive difficulties, as the technology relies on images and experiences rather than text. Beyond education and training, VR is being used to treat mental illness and has been utilized in behavioral therapy when treating destructive behavior, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) and phobias. According to Huffington Post, 56 percent of state prisoners and 64 percent of inmates in local prisons suffer from mental illness and VR is paving the way to an affordable method of treatment for these individuals.

“It is important to rehabilitate prisoners rather than just to punish them. Strategic plans are needed to achieve this. Development of job skills and psychological rehabilitation are the important aspects to be considered in the prison systems,” explained Dr. N. Raghavendra Rao, editor of IGI Global’s publication, Virtual Technologies for Business and Industrial Applications: Innovative and Synergistic Approaches and advisor at FINAT consultancy Services, India.

Oppositely, this technology is not only showing inmates the outside world, but allowing those on the outside to see life in a prison cell. Project Empathy a VR film series, created by Jamie Wong, gives citizens the inside look on the American prison system. From the crime to a solitary confinement cell, the project is focused on creating social impact and bringing awareness to the harsh realities of prison from a first-hand perspective.

“If we can create empathy for those that are most difficult to create empathy for, then we know that we are building a model that can be effective across all types of issues,” Jamie Wong, creator of Project Empathy, explained . “We really wanted to start in the place where we see the biggest need, and also where we saw the biggest challenge.” (Quote from Business Insiders article “Virtual reality series lets you experience life in prison ”).

The reality series shows the conflicts that prisoners face while incarcerated including having families on the outside and lack of empathy within the prison system. According to the U.S. Bureau of Justice, 2,220,300 adults were incarcerated in federal and state prisons in the U.S. alone and nearly 1.7 million children in the U.S. have at least one parent in state or federal prison. VR could be the tool that solves this two-fold issue by bringing prisoners closer to rehabilitation and creating an educated and empathetic society.
“Prison education plays an important role in reducing crime rates. In fact, they are the ones who need help, support and development to become improved citizens after their release,” stated Rao. “This is certainly an area where the concept of virtual reality can make a huge and positive impact on them.”

Although, VR is creating a positive impact inside and outside prisons, there are drawbacks to this technology. Short-term effects of the technology have been outlined including dizziness, seizures, nausea and trouble with hand-eye coordination. Additionally, there are no studies that point to the effects of using the technology for prolonged periods of time.

Continually, many speculate that this technology could be abused and be used as virtual torture within prison systems. The technologies ability to tap into a person’s perceptions of space, presence and self can be utilized for the new form of mental torture.

Like many technologies, VR has its positives and negatives and more study needs to be completed. What is your opinion on this budding technology? Comment below!

A sincere thanks to Dr. N. Raghavendra Rao for taking time out of his busy schedules to collaborate with IGI Global and for sharing his thoughts about virtual reality. To learn more about virtual reality, please preview the publications below:


Disclaimer: The opinions expressed in this article are the author’s own and do not reflect the views of IGI Global.

Newsroom Contact:
Caroline Campbell
Promotions Assistant
ccampbell@igi-global.com
(717) 533-8845, ext. 144
www.igi-global.com
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