Digital Inclusion

VR Headsets Are 'Hope Machines' Inside California Prisons, Offering Respite and Practical Experience

Prisoners are now taking regular trips to far-flung, exotic locales such as Thailand. No passport required, just a virtual reality headset.

Associated Press

Associated Press

— 4 min read
VR Headsets Are 'Hope Machines' Inside California Prisons, Offering Respite and Practical Experience
Photo of incarcerated men using virtual reality headsets inside Valley State Prison in Chowchilla, Calif., Dec. 11, 2025, by Haven Daley/AP

CHOWCHILLA, Calif., Jan. 10, 2026 (AP) — Jacob Smith has been in prison for two decades, but he and other inmates are still taking regular trips to far-flung, exotic locales. No passport required, just a virtual reality headset.

“I went to Thailand, man!” Smith recalled with a grin, describing the first time he strapped on a VR device and was transported to the lush landscapes and bustling markets of Southeast Asia.

A Los Angeles-based nonprofit is bringing the 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 to reenter society.

Post tagged in
Digital Inclusion Jacob Smith Valley State Prison prison Creative Acts California Nancy La Vigne Rutgers-Neward School of Criminal Justice Richard Richard American Psychological Association Meta California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation California Men's Colony AP

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