Chowchilla, California — Jacob Smith has been in prison for two decades, but he and other inmates still make regular trips to exotic and far-flung places. No passport needed, just a VR headset.
“I went to Thailand, man!” Smith recalls with a smile, describing the first time he donned a VR headset and was transported to the lush landscapes and bustling markets of Southeast Asia.
A Los Angeles-based nonprofit is bringing technology to California prisons with the goal of providing inmates a brief escape and, more importantly, exposure to real-world scenarios that will prepare them for reentry into society.
During a weeklong program last month, incarcerated men at Valley State Prison near Fresno sat on metal folding chairs in a common area. They shifted around in their seats as they were equipped with headphones that looked like opaque goggles. Their necks crooked slightly and smiles spread across their faces as the high definition videos started and their journeys began.
Some saw scenes on the other side of the globe, including Bangkok, while others witnessed more practical scenes, such as job interviews. The men sit in front of virtual desks for virtual interviews, calm and collected to give them the tools to find work once they are released.
“For a lot of us, the workforce has changed and things are different with the application process,” said Smith, who is eligible for parole in 2031 and now volunteers to help fellow inmates experience virtual reality. “It’s a nerve-wracking experience to sit in front of someone and tell them why I’m good for this job.”
Next, volunteers help inmates process emotions or trauma that arose during their experiences. Sabra Williams, founder of the nonprofit Creative Acts, describes VR devices as a “hope machine.”
The program stems from a prison arts project directed by Williams which included theatre, music, poetry, dance and drawing. Watching prisoners engage in artistic activities made her wonder about other ways to “bring the outside world inside.”
I’ve heard from people who have left prison lamenting that technology has passed them by. They felt overwhelmed by simple things like pumping gas, checking out of the supermarket, or going to the ATM.
“And what I hear from them is that it made them feel like they didn’t belong, that they only belonged in prison,” she said.
Williams’ first group searched for footage on YouTube to recreate everyday activities. They soon began creating their own videos focusing on travel, constructive scenarios, civic engagement, conflict resolution, art, and even meditation “to blow their minds and educate their minds as well.”
Such technology could play an important role in rehabilitation, especially reintegration into society, said Nancy Lavin, dean of Rutgers Newark School of Criminal Justice in New Jersey. She envisions people who haven’t been in the real world for a long time using VR to navigate the DMV or figure out how to take a city bus.
Another benefit is that it can have a calming effect on stressed prisoners. Lavin points to research published by the American Psychological Association that found that incarcerated people who watched short, naturalistic videos showed lower levels of aggression and were subject to fewer disciplinary reports.
But with the hefty price tag and limited access, La Vigne worries about “practical realities,” such as unintended consequences that stem from those who might be left out of the VR experience.
“You can’t turn them in or sell them at the complex,” La Vigne said.
Ex-prisoner Richard Richard first used a VR headset about six years ago when the program was launched, and since his release he has been a Creative Acts volunteer. He said he is impressed by how far technology has advanced. He loves watching fellow inmates use the devices for the first time and then progress as they deal with trauma and emotional issues.
“You may be here physically, but you can mentally and spiritually transcend this environment,” he said.
The group runs the program using 100 Oculus headsets donated by Meta, both in the general population and in solitary confinement. Youthful offenders are also eligible. It currently runs three times a year in four California prisons, and Williams hopes to expand it across the state and across the country.
The California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation did not immediately respond this week to inquiries about plans to expand the program. But when announcing the introduction of virtual reality at the California Men’s Colony prison in San Luis Obispo County last August, the department said the use had the potential to “heal trauma, regulate emotional response, and prepare for safe and successful reentry into society.”
The two-minute introductory trip to Thailand is often emotional for many inmates, some of whom have “never been out of prison, let alone out of the country,” Williams said.
“A lot of times people would take their headphones off and they would cry,” she said. Because they’ll say, “I never knew the world was so beautiful.”
___ Weber reported from Los Angeles.