A new initiative in Los Angeles brings ‘hope machine’ VR headsets to California prisoners, with the aim of giving them real world scenarios to prepare them for reintegration into society.
A weeklong program, created by Los Angeles nonprofit organisation, Creative Acts at Valley State Prison near Fresno, California, saw prisoners sat on metal folding chairs in a common area. The prisoners were outfitted with a headset, known as “hope machines” by Creative Acts’ founder, Sandra Williams. Once fitted, the headsets displayed as high-definition videos started for each prisoner.
Some prisoners saw global sites such as Bangkok, while others experienced practical scenes such as job interviews, sitting across virtual desks from avatar interviewers who vary in easy-going and hard-going personalities to give the prisoners tools for finding employment on the outside.
After the experience, volunteers helped the inmates process emotions or traumas that emerged during the experiences.
100 Oculus headsets are used for the program, donated by Meta, used for both inmates in the general population and in solitary confinement. Youth offenders are also eligible, with the program running three times a year at four California prisons.
Speaking to the Associated Press, XXX Smith, a prisoner at Valley State Prison, will be eligible for parole in 2031. Smith now volunteers to help fellow inmates navigate the VR experience: “For a lot of us, the workforce has changed and things are different with the application process.
“It’s a nerve wracking experience going to sit in front of somebody and telling them why I’m good for the job.”
Afterward, volunteers help the inmates process the emotions or traumas that bubbled up during their experiences. Initially, the Creative Acts team found footage on YouTube to recreate everyday activities and will soon focus on creating their own videos focused on travel, constructive scenarios, civic engagement, conflict resolution, art, and meditation.
The technology could play an important role in rehabilitation and reintegration into society, with the potential to implement a calming effect on stressed out inmates.
Williams explained that the two-minute trip to Thailand can often be emotional for many inmates as many had “never been off their block, let alone out the country.
“And so many times people would take off the headsets, and they’d be crying, because they’d be like, ‘I never knew the world was so beautiful.’”
Photo credit: Creative Acts