Prisons

Now you can buy an old prison in New York State

The State of New York is hoping to sell its old prisons. “One property, in the Hudson Valley, includes a 16-car garage, a piggery and hundreds of yards of lake frontage,” the New York Times explains. “Another offers 69 acres of waterfront land on the west shore of Staten Island, complete with a two-story gymnasium,…

io9 Geoff Manaugh - BLDGBLOG May 28

South Korea unveils robotic prison guards, promises futuristic cavity searches

To round out their drug-sniffing clone dog army, South Korean authorities are now experimenting with robotic prison guards. Lest you think these cyber-wardens will be equipped with gatling guns in the style of Robocop’s ED-209, know that this alarm-equipped bot has more in common with the Death Star’s delivery droids. https://gizmodo.com/south-korean-airport-fights-drug-smugglers-with-cloned-5846518 Of course, the robots’…

io9 Cyriaque Lamar Apr 16

Why you’ll never go to space prison

Space prisons are a huge part of science fiction, because eventually we’ll run out of places on Earth to put our worst criminals. Mass Effect 2 features a prison ship. And this Friday sees the release of Lockout, in which a snarky hero goes inside a maximum-security satellite to rescue the President’s daughter. But could…

io9 Esther Inglis-Arkell Apr 11

Tour the creeptacular nooks and crannies of Alcatraz

Now that J.J. Abrams’ time-traveling prisoner series Alcatraz is locked in for Fridays next fall, let’s take a look at the show’s abandoned penitentiary setting, which has since been turned into a tourist attraction after closing in 1963. In case you haven’t seen it, here’s the decidedly cryptic trailer for Fox’s Alcatraz. Hurley and Professor…

io9 Cyriaque Lamar May 18

A Brief History of Strange Prison Escape Tools

The recent Taliban prison escape was undeniably crafty. But especially noteworthy was the creation of the 320+ meter tunnel without power tools, which would have been too noisy. Here are six other great escapes, and the gear that made them possible. https://gizmodo.com/500-taliban-prisoners-just-escaped-through-a-long-under-5795362 Alcatraz Federal Prison, San Francisco, 1962 The most famous escape attempt from Alcatraz…

Tech News Adrian Covert Apr 25

Men in prison love science fiction and fantasy…especially Twilight

Over at The Innocent Flower, a prison librarian named Emily is talking about how important the library at her prison is for prisoners. And she says the male prisoners especially love science fiction and fantasy books: I have found that these men here absolutely love fantasy and science fiction books. Twilight is a hot commodity…

Books & Comics Charlie Jane Anders Jan 27

For Those of You with Zero Self-Control, the Phone Prison

You just can’t help yourself, can you? After a night of ruinous drinking, you come home and dial that ex, wailing for them to take you back. Or maybe you need to kick the Angry Birds addiction. Lock ‘er up! Or, as the Cell Phone Lock Up‘s sellers envision, torture your friends with the thing:…

Tech News Sam Biddle Jan 20

You must eat your way out of this cotton candy prison cell

This is no ordinary padded room — it’s 1,600 cotton candy cones strung together to form a prison of pleasure. Here’s how New York artist Jennifer Rubell describes “Padded Cell,” which was displayed at Performa Arts’ Russian themed Red Party this November: Padded cell is an 8’X16′ freestanding room constructed of basic building materials, with…

io9 Cyriaque Lamar Jan 18

This Fearsome Russian Prison Is Installing Sunbeds For Inmates

Moscow’s notorious Butyrka prison has housed everyone from Alexander Solzhenitsyn to Hitler’s nephew. And before the end of the year, its inmates will be able to go tanning. That’s great, actually. The move comes in the wake of one high-profile inmate death—prominent lawyer Sergei Magnitsky—and who knows how many unheralded ones. Russia’s prisons are overcrowded,…

Tech News Brian Barrett Nov 10

How to turn a highway into a giant dungeon (slightly NSFW)

Street artist Dan Witz glues disturbing portraiture to highway walls. The result? Blink-and-you’ll-miss-them prison cells that leave drivers wondering what they just saw. In the future, they’ll build these for motorists who abuse the carpool lane. [Dan Witz via The Wooster Collective]

io9 Cyriaque Lamar Oct 30

Metal Detectors Fail When “Pretty, Young Lawyers” Visit Belgian Prison

A Belgian jail’s metal detector falters whenever attractive lawyers visit, allegedly because it’s too sensitive to the underwire in bras. To ensure they’re not packing guns, the lawyers are then asked to remove their bras to enter the jail. The Hasselt jail has come under fire because of its faulty metal detectors, which has seemingly…

Tech News Kat Hannaford Sep 10

US Jail to Fire LASERS at Violent Prisoners

It’s a non-lethal laser as you probably guessed, but nonetheless, the Assault Intervention Device (measuring 2.2m in height) causes some serious heat when shot at an escapee or fighty prisoner. From this week, the Pitchess Detention Center will be using it to scare 65 of its 3,700 prisoners, mounting it high up a dormitory wall…

Tech News Kat Hannaford Aug 24

This Stone Prison Helped a Drunk Survive Doomsday

98 years ago, there was a terrible volcanic eruption on Martinique, an island in the Caribbean. What’s been dubbed as the worst volcanic disaster of the 20th century, it killed all residents—except the sole drunk in this prison. Two other Martinique residents survived also, a girl who sailed a boat into the ocean and a…

Tech News Kat Hannaford Apr 26

The Cities You Can Never Leave

Science fiction imagines strange and wondrous cities in our future, but many are less paradise than prison. We take an ill-advised vacation inside the cities that will never let you leave. Gilded Cages The Axiom (WALL*E): The luxury liner Axiom has taken humanity on a multi-generational space cruise so successful that humans have lost the…

io9 Lauren Davis Sep 14

Now you can buy an old prison in New York State

South Korea unveils robotic prison guards, promises futuristic cavity searches

Why you’ll never go to space prison

Tour the creeptacular nooks and crannies of Alcatraz

A Brief History of Strange Prison Escape Tools

Men in prison love science fiction and fantasy…especially Twilight

For Those of You with Zero Self-Control, the Phone Prison

You must eat your way out of this cotton candy prison cell

This Fearsome Russian Prison Is Installing Sunbeds For Inmates

How to turn a highway into a giant dungeon (slightly NSFW)

Metal Detectors Fail When “Pretty, Young Lawyers” Visit Belgian Prison

US Jail to Fire LASERS at Violent Prisoners

This Stone Prison Helped a Drunk Survive Doomsday

The Cities You Can Never Leave

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