20 Prison Innovations - From Inmate Charities to Eco Jails

Going Like Sixty’s discovery of an Alcatraz-based hotel has inspired me to create this lovely cluster about prison innovation. 

This post features Trend Hunter’s best discoveries in the world of prison and jail.  My favorite?  The controversial inmate beauty contest, of course.

Inmate Charities

Inmate Charities - Puppies Behind Bars (GALLERY)

Puppies Behind Bars (PBB) is one of the most innovative programs I have ever come across. Prison inmates actually help train guide dogs for the disabled and to work as explosive detectors for law enforcement. The puppies are raised by the inmates in their cells for several months. They also attend classes… [More]

Female Prisoners Launch Charity Fashion Label - Jail Cats

Instead of complaining about their time behind bars, prisoners in an Italian jail have put their sentence to good use by applying their creative talents.  Paola Mazzini, 60, is one of these designers and hopes to put the profits towards helping others. Stuck behind bars for drug charges, she used h… [More]

Prison You Can Take Home With You

Prison Food Trays - Eat Like Your In Jail

Now you don’t need to be in jail to eat like your in Sing Sing jail. This very sturdy (would you expect less?) and shatter-proof tray means you can know enjoy eating like a prisoner in the comfort of your own home. Prison aside, it’s actually very practical and even dishwasher proof! [More]

Ex-Prisoner Buys His Old Cell - Too Much Sentiment?

People can become very attached to material possessions, particularly places of residence, which could be why a former Australian prisoner decided to buy his old jail cell.  Graeme Alford hadn’t lived in Pentridge Prison since 1980, but has every intention of buying cell 43 back “As part of a comme… [More]

Fun With Prison

“That’s Hot” For Halloween - Paris in Prison Costume

Stay trendy with the “Princess in Prison” get-up.  For the low, low price of $39.99 you can dress like your favorite cheap hussy this Halloween! The Steve Irwin stingray outfit and the Britney Spears Red Bull toting child neglecter are SO last year.  The Paris Hilton in Prison outfit comes complet… [More]

Paris Released - So is Online Game

Paris Hilton has been sprung from prison and is now making tee shirts in an online game from gsn.com.  Help Paris change from a tease to a tees entrepreneur.  Don’t squash little Tinkerbell or you’ll lose points. [More]

Sex And The Cell - SJP In Jail In Covet Perfume Ads (VIDEO)

It makes perfect scents that Sarah Jessica Parker is using the release of her new Sex and The City Movie to gain publicity for her new perfume, “Covet”, the second scent she’s developed.  The ads feature… [More]

Prisonertising - Prison Break Actors Chain Walk Through City

In a guerrilla campaign to promote Prison Break, the Fox channel in Portugal has marched prisoners throughout the city.  The prisoners (actors) were chained together as shown in the photo.  Posters and mugshots were been plastered throughout the city and the media were given press kits that included… [More]

Dancing Inmates - 1,500 Filipino Prisoners Re-enact Michael Jackson’s “Thriller” (VIDEO)

The latest viral sensation are videos shot in the prison yard of the Cebu Provincial Detention and Rehabilitation Centre in the Philippines, which show several large-scale dance routines with impressive choreography.  The latest release features around 1500 prisoners acting out the trademark zombie… [More]

Ways to Make Prisoners Happy

Computer games help convicts cope

Oregon’s prison system in the US is turning to computer games to help rehabilitate felons.  Inmates who have a clean disciplinary record for 18 months are being given a chance to buy a small handheld game console.  The gadget has 50 simple games onboard that can be played through small TVs fixed in… [More]

Prison for Extra Fame

Criminal Records Increase Celeb Status - Mischa Barton’s DUI Ups Her Value (GALLERY)

Mischa Barton was recently arrested for a DUI, joining fellow female celebrities like Paris Hilton and Nicole Richie who also served jail time for driving under the influence. Back in the day, charges like these would have harmed celebrity image dramatically, but today, they actually increase a star… [More]

The Selling of Celebrity - Paris Hilton Inc Documentary (VIDEO)

A recent documentary, Paris Hilton Inc., shows how the young heiress was able to transform herself as one of the most idolized, hated, photographed and talked about icons of our time.  “A fascinating journey through the billion-dollar business of star-making with Paris herself and the people who pu… [More]

Luxury Prison

Luxury Prison – A Sweet Prison for Austrian Criminals (GALLERY)

It’s cruel to live in a prison but not for Austrian criminals. The building may look like a modern office. But actually it’s a five-star prison in Styria, Austria. The building is made of beautiful… [More]

Upgradable Prison Stays - Book A Five Star Jail Cell For $82 A Day

Last month we featured a Luxury Austrian Prison.  Now in America you can pay for a prison upgrade. Are you a minor offender required to serve jail time? Then you may be eligible for lock up in a Five… [More]

Prison Innovation

Norway’s Green Jail - Bastoey Eco-Prison (GALLERY)

Bastoey, the world’s first ecological prison opened in Norway, is a place where inmates learn about the environment. Prisoners of the minimum security facility play important roles in keeping the jail eco-friendly, from learning about food production and recylcing.  The facility lives by a philoso… [More]

Egyptian Activist Blogs from Jail

CAIRO, Egypt—Even from his cell in an Egyptian prison, Alaa Abdel-Fattah is blogging—scribbling messages on slips of paper that make their way to the internet and spread around the world. The 24-year-old Abdel-Fattah’s blog, which he posts with his wife Manal Hassan, has become one of the mos… [More]

Blogger Launches Inmate Beauty Contest - Winner Gets Bail!

David Burge of Iowahawk has created an online beauty contest with the mugshots of inmates from his local jail (Des Moines Polk County).  Readers are allowed to vote for his Inmate Beauty contest title, “Miss Hoosegow Honey”.  The winning convict wins bail! “But make no mistake: this will not be a b… [More]

Prison Pen Prevents Bodily Harm

In prison, virtually anything can be used as a weapon to facilitate trading or even to escape. So, prison officials and guards must be alert to any potential dangers, even from seemingly harmless objects… like a pen. The Prison Pen is a specially-designed writing utensil created for prisoners… … [More]

Prison Hotels

Luxury Prison Hotel? - Sentenced to Alcratraz (VIDEO)

The U.S. National Park Service wants to add a luxury hotel to one of the world’s most famous islands: Alcatraz. Plans are to offer accommodations like the Ahwahnee Hotel in Yosemite National Park.  Alcatraz has a notorious reputation. Al Capone was the most infamous resident of the prison. Already… [More]

From Prison to Luxury Retreat - Boston Jail Reborn as Liberty Hotel (VIDEO)

The infamous 156 year old Charles St Jail where you could stay for free, if you dared, for merely breaking the law has been transformed into the Liberty Hotel after a five year, $150 million renovation.… [More]

Not a Prison, But What Fun!!

Sleep in a Coffin or a Cage - Propeller Island City Lodge

At Propeller Island City Lodge, every room is decorated by artists in a different theme.  That concept isn’t new, but Germany’s Propeller Island takes the idea to the extreme. The coffin room features… [More]