Cara Brown McCormick
In California, the birthplace of much of the world’s technology innovation, virtual reality is being used in an unexpected setting: inside prisons.
In four facilities, incarcerated people put on Meta-donated headsets to help prepare them for reentry into society and the experiences they may encounter after release. These include exiting prison on release day, attending job interviews, navigating public spaces, paying for groceries, and even participating in family gatherings.
Participants are using the headsets to experience and practice responding to these situations.
For those held in solitary confinement, virtual reality offers scenes from the outside world, such as Paris and Thailand. Program organizers claim that the use of VR in solitary confinement has coincided with sharp reductions in disciplinary infractions, benefiting the correctional staff who deserve to work in safer, less volatile environments.
Creative Acts, a nonprofit, currently operates the program in four California prisons, including Corcoran State Prison and the Central California Women’s Facility. The organization reports receiving requests from additional California facilities. The nonprofit developed the program after observing that people released from long prison sentences often struggle to adjust to life outside prison. To support a pilot program, Creative Acts received 20 donated virtual reality headsets from Meta.
According to data from Creative Acts, prisons that piloted the virtual reality program reported a 96 percent reduction in disciplinary infractions among participants in solitary confinement.
At Corcoran, the number of infractions among men in solitary confinement dropped from 735 to one following a week-long session. One warden at the facility commuted enough solitary confinement sentences that one of four buildings dedicated to the practice was closed.
Supporters of the program have pointed to these results as suggesting a potential benefit not only for incarcerated participants but also for correctional staff. Fewer infractions among people held in solitary confinement contribute to a less volatile environment inside prisons.
Participants who completed the program reported increased awareness of emotional triggers and continued using the breathing and meditation practices introduced during the sessions. Some described responding differently to stressful situations after completing the program.
Advocates also note that the program’s reentry-focused scenes are intended to help participants better navigate everyday situations after incarceration. If transitions back into society are smoother, they argue, that could have broader implications once people return to their communities.