The Private Prison Video Game

categories: Criminal Justice In The Media, Media And Criminal Justice

Published January 21, 2009 @ 05:06AM PT

Via Prison Photography via BLDGBLOG comes this head-scratcher: Prison Tycoon 4: Supermax - the video game that challenges you to "Build a profitable privately run prison from the ground up...Grow your facility to SuperMax capabilities, housing the most dangerous and diabolical criminals on earth – all for the bottom line." What?

I have to admit that as a nerdy 13-year-old I played a stock market trading simulation game on my family's computer. Looking back, I wonder if that game teaches kids about real-life financial skills or to be greedy. But at least there could be some value. A private prison? Who would want to spend free time building an elaborate cage, allowing gang wars, drugs and racial violence to fester in an attempt to earn more money? This is the fourth version of the game, so apparently someone is playing it.

I guess there's a video game version of nearly everything one can imagine. But the existence of this game (in four versions) highlights the disturbing prevalence of prisons in our society. This game takes for granted that prisons are everywhere and that they are simply a tool for profit. That's a sad place to be.

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Comments (2)

I teach Criminal Justice and have been looking for interactive games that actually teach the students on different criminal justice topics. With interactive games etc., I find that the students are more relaxed and actually learn faster. Hopefully you can help me in this. Greatly appreciated.

cwilcox

Posted by Charlie Wilcox on 09/15/2009 @ 04:30PM PT
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Charlie - good examples of criminal justice games don't spring to mind, but here's a good immigration/detention game from the great folks at Breakthrough - http://www.icedgame.com/#1

hope it helps. And if you find any others, please post here!

Posted by Matt Kelley on 09/16/2009 @ 02:03PM PT
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Matt has worked and volunteered in various capacities in criminal justice reform for several years. When he's not blogging, he works as the Online Communications Manager at the Innocence Project. Views expressed here are Matt's, and don't represent the positions of the Innocence Project.