Prisons – Making Money on the Outside
Prisons are places that most of us will hopefully never have to visit or stay in our entire lives. But that doesn’t make them any less interesting. If anything, it only makes them more mysterious and intriguing to the general public. How do they operate? Are they really like the movies? How do inmates live each day? Are they safe?
The general unknowns of being incarcerated have enabled them to be commercialised. Prisons are now able to generate revenue by commercialising their premises to documentary makers, such as the hit Netflix show “World’s Toughest Prisons”. In this series, a journalist travels to the most dangerous ones in the world where drugs are openly used, sometimes as weapons, and inmates are frequently murdered. But documentaries are not the only way that these places are becoming commercialised. Here are some more.
Turning to Gaming
An array of video games has used real-life prisons within their narratives and settings. One of the most popular in modern times is A Way Out, which is available on consoles and as a PC game. But it is not just video games that have adopted prison themes and maybe had to pay for naming rights. Now you can find casino slot games that use this type of inspiration to keep punters engaged, such as the acclaimed San Quentin slot game. If you enjoy this film genre and games where you can have a flutter, this type of game should be the perfect thing.
Making Money from Tours
An easy way for prisons of the past to commercialise their venue is to provide tours. For example, Kilmainham Gaol in Dublin offers an excellent tour and is included in several films, not limited to The Italian Job and The Whistle Blower. It was also used in the BBC series Ripper Street and where U2 shot their music video for the song “A Celebration”. It proves how older prisons can monetise their venue through many media.
But what about tours of real prisons still operating – do they exist? Well, there is an open secret that San Pedro Prison in La Paz, Bolivia, operates illegal prison tours. This prison is unlike any other, with no internal guards and an inner community of mansions, markets and even a class system. The actual prison guards remain on the outside of the prison, allowing anything inside to go. Tourists can have a tour if they pay a bribe, but there is never any guarantee that you will get out. If you want to learn more about this unique prison and high-risk tours, it is recommended to read Marching Powder, an account of someone who stayed on a tour for three months.
