Prisons

News

The Pirate Bay’s Founders Are Going To A Prison That’s Better Than Your Life

6:15AM February 2, 2012 | Sam Biddle

Not just any prison — Swedish prison. After fighting copyright infringement charges for years, the three gents behind the world’s most notorious torrent site are headed to the slammer. Luckily, TPB lives, and Swedish prison is great! More »


Online

US Prisons Now At Risk From Hackers?

5:00AM August 1, 2011 | Kim Zetter - Wired

Vulnerabilities in electronic systems that control prison doors could allow hackers or others to spring prisoners from their jail cells, according to researchers. More »


Geek Out

Tour The IKEA-Like Prison Where Norway Gunman Could Land

8:00PM July 27, 2011 | Seth Abramovitch

Norwegian mass-murderer Anders Breivik could wind up doing time at Halden Fengsel, multiple news outlets claim, which calls itself a maximum-security prison, but looks more like a cross between an IKEA and college dorm. More »


Gadgets

A Brief History Of Strange Prison Escape Tools

7:19AM April 26, 2011 | Adrian Covert

The recent Taliban prison escape was undeniably crafty. But especially noteworthy was the creation of the 320m tunnel without power tools, which would have been too noisy. Here are six other great escapes, and the gear that made them possible. More »


Science

This Fearsome Russian Prison Is Installing Sunbeds For Inmates

1:00AM November 11, 2010 | Brian Barrett

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. More »


Mobile

How Inmates Ingeniously Sneak Mobile Phones Into Prisons

4:40AM May 11, 2010 | Mark Wilson

If you’re in prison and want to keep your dealing business alive, you need a mobile phone. But how do you get it through security? Baking loaves of bread, crossbowing over prison walls and, of course, the good old rectum. More »


This Stone Prison Helped A Drunk Survive Doomsday

9:14PM April 26, 2010 | Kat Hannaford

Ninety-eight 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. More »


If I Ever Get Sent To Jail, I Hope It’s To Norway’s Halden Prison

11:24PM March 1, 2010 | Kat Hannaford

A new jail opens in Norway on the 1st of April, which is incredibly modern with Banksy-style street art everywhere, natural lighting courtesy of Philips, and even a music studio. It looks nicer than some people’s houses, needless to say. More »


Mobile

Mobile-Smuggling Pigeons Are a Jailbird’s Best Friend

1:40PM April 1, 2009 | Wilson Rothman

Hey you jailkeepers, you know how the inmates been asking about keeping harmless little pigeons around? Well, it’s a con: They’re using them to smuggle in mobile phones.

More »