Bitcoin in Jail

[Beliathon]

Most jails don't allow internet access to inmates other than through a pre paid e-mail only system. You would have to get around "prison should be as painful as possible" law and order crowd to get any kind of reform.

This should be classified under "cruel and unusual punishment" as far as I'm concerned. Denying inmates internet access in the information age is like denying inmates access to books in the pre-internet age. Terrible thing to do especially if prison is SUPPOSED to be about rehabilitation, not punishment.

How can it possibly be justified ? If you want them to have ANY job prospects at all when they get out, these people need to be internet-proficient or at least able to use the damn thing. Think about people with 10 or 20+ year sentences, they'll get out without even knowing how to use a computer.

Such cruel, discompassionate madness...

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[keithers]

Maybe they can start accepting btc in commissary... Haha. Someone can send a letter to the governor of their state

[Bitcoin-hotep]

Without access to the internet they'd be better of just controlling regular money, or like somebody else mentioned about barterting with cigarettes and food etc. I can't see bitcoin being used in such a fashion tbh.

AGAIN.
No one would need internet access.

And either someone would just have to keep a ledger, or trade wallets with set amounts. Which WOULD be like trading money. Like a .1 BTC wallet slip would be a thing.

And people NEVER saw bitcoin being invented let alone being USED at all, let alone in prison. lol. So you can't just say "I don't see that happening".

Why would they bother keeping a ledger when they could just use paper money or whatever. Keeping a ledger of bitcoin is pointless as it can easily be cheated. That's what the blockchain is for.

To get money in jail you have to stick it in your ass or know a guard.
The ledger would just be so that the person could take it to visitation so the person on the outside could make the actual transactions.
And I actually suggested that a coin be made FOR this, and eventually that the prisons adopt it for commissary. Not for people to just use Bitcoin.

[Clegg]

Bitcoin has a lot of benefits but I don't think being used within the prison system is one of them.

[Bitcoin-hotep]

Maybe they can start accepting btc in commissary... Haha. Someone can send a letter to the governor of their state

No, they just need to see that it moves easily through their system and they will want to adopt it just so they can make some money.

[jonald_fyookball]

Most jails don't allow internet access to inmates other than through a pre paid e-mail only system. You would have to get around "prison should be as painful as possible" law and order crowd to get any kind of reform.

This should be classified under "cruel and unusual punishment" as far as I'm concerned. Denying inmates internet access in the information age is like denying inmates access to books in the pre-internet age. Terrible thing to do especially if prison is SUPPOSED to be about rehabilitation, not punishment.

How can it possibly be justified ? If you want them to have ANY job prospects at all when they get out, these people need to be internet-proficient or at least able to use the damn thing. Think about people with 10 or 20+ year sentences, they'll get out without even knowing how to use a computer.

Such cruel, discompassionate madness...

on the other hand, if you can just chill in jail and surf the web all day and get fed, why NOT be a criminal?
maybe they should get some kind of censored, limited internet.

[cbeast]

A typical jail in Sweden.

[sklonenaulitka]

Which guarantee can one prisoner provide to other person, that he will make promised transaction, if they have not any possibilities to certify it legally and officially? Some physical equivalent should be much attractive.

[beetcoin]

Has anyone ever heard of Bitcoins being used in jail?

Someone could easily have someone create them a bunch of wallets with a sum of coins they have on the outside, then have someone send them the addresses and the amounts. Then trade those addresses. Or, some people have people that visit them all the time and will take care of business stuff for people, and someone could just keep a ledger then have visitation and tell the person on the outside where to send what coins, and who else to contact so that they could get their share paid.

People reading this are like "How can you trust the person to actually pay", well in jail the person usually pays or the person finds some other way to get paid back.

Eventually, there could even be a coin made for this, and eventually petitions could be made for the institutions to start accepting it so that people don't do trading on the outside, unless they are on the outside.

It would also be good work incentive for prisoners if they made this themselves, premined it, and paid them with it. That way people could earn money in jail that they can use outside, as long as they play by the rules.

Most jails in the US don't allow internet access to inmates other than through a pre paid e-mail only system. You would have to get around "prison should be as painful as possible" law and order crowd to get any kind of reform.

you sound like someone who is quite familiar with the system 

[Brewins]

A typical jail in Sweden.

This is way better than the home of billions of people in the world

Most jails don't allow internet access to inmates other than through a pre paid e-mail only system. You would have to get around "prison should be as painful as possible" law and order crowd to get any kind of reform.

This should be classified under "cruel and unusual punishment" as far as I'm concerned. Denying inmates internet access in the information age is like denying inmates access to books in the pre-internet age. Terrible thing to do especially if prison is SUPPOSED to be about rehabilitation, not punishment.

How can it possibly be justified ? If you want them to have ANY job prospects at all when they get out, these people need to be internet-proficient or at least able to use the damn thing. Think about people with 10 or 20+ year sentences, they'll get out without even knowing how to use a computer.

Such cruel, discompassionate madness...

The prisons end up being more a way to get out undesirable people from the society and to scare people outside to make wrongs.

I think few people are interested in the reahabilitation.

[ThomasCrowne]

Why use bitcoins when you can use cigarettes?

Largely because there isn't a single jail or prison within US borders that allows either.  Your looking at disciplinary action if caught with them.  Although you might get slapped with some sort of crypto-gang related stuff if they find a BTC address with a private key in your cell too! Prison guards get real ansy when you start throwing stuff around that looks like it's encrypted.  For them it's a safety concern.

[InwardContour]

Why use bitcoins when you can use cigarettes?

Largely because there isn't a single jail or prison within US borders that allows either.  Your looking at disciplinary action if caught with them.  Although you might get slapped with some sort of crypto-gang related stuff if they find a BTC address with a private key in your cell too! Prison guards get real ansy when you start throwing stuff around that looks like it's encrypted.  For them it's a safety concern.

It is possible to trade cigs in jail as you can actually see and verify that they are there. With bitcoin you cannot really verify that there is actually a "balance" (unspent inputs) in a specific address without the internet and AFAIK there is no internet access in jail.

[Bitcoin-hotep]

Why use bitcoins when you can use cigarettes?

Largely because there isn't a single jail or prison within US borders that allows either.  Your looking at disciplinary action if caught with them.  Although you might get slapped with some sort of crypto-gang related stuff if they find a BTC address with a private key in your cell too! Prison guards get real ansy when you start throwing stuff around that looks like it's encrypted.  For them it's a safety concern.

It is possible to trade cigs in jail as you can actually see and verify that they are there. With bitcoin you cannot really verify that there is actually a "balance" (unspent inputs) in a specific address without the internet and AFAIK there is no internet access in jail.

People have people on the outside do stuff for them all the time. No one would fuck around, unless they wanted to lose their teeth and catch a dick in the mouth.

[InwardContour]

Why use bitcoins when you can use cigarettes?

Largely because there isn't a single jail or prison within US borders that allows either.  Your looking at disciplinary action if caught with them.  Although you might get slapped with some sort of crypto-gang related stuff if they find a BTC address with a private key in your cell too! Prison guards get real ansy when you start throwing stuff around that looks like it's encrypted.  For them it's a safety concern.

It is possible to trade cigs in jail as you can actually see and verify that they are there. With bitcoin you cannot really verify that there is actually a "balance" (unspent inputs) in a specific address without the internet and AFAIK there is no internet access in jail.

People have people on the outside do stuff for them all the time. No one would fuck around, unless they wanted to lose their teeth and catch a dick in the mouth.

But noone would be able to know who actually spent the coins if it turned out that that the address was "empty" as these kind of things likely are traded several times prior to someone actually using them.

Another issue is that the reason the cigs have value in jail is because people want to smoke them and are willing to pay a premium to do so. The only thing that you could really do with bitcoin in jail would be to spend it on the "outside" which would make it basically the same as cash.

[factor280]

Who cares? I dont think I want bitcoin to be endorsed as the official jail currency. Bad publicity.

[Bitcoin-hotep]

Who cares? I dont think I want bitcoin to be endorsed as the official jail currency. Bad publicity.

I already said that eventually there should be a currency FOR this.

[freedomno1]

Has anyone ever heard of Bitcoins being used in jail?

Someone could easily have someone create them a bunch of wallets with a sum of coins they have on the outside, then have someone send them the addresses and the amounts. Then trade those addresses. Or, some people have people that visit them all the time and will take care of business stuff for people, and someone could just keep a ledger then have visitation and tell the person on the outside where to send what coins, and who else to contact so that they could get their share paid.

People reading this are like "How can you trust the person to actually pay", well in jail the person usually pays or the person finds some other way to get paid back.

Eventually, there could even be a coin made for this, and eventually petitions could be made for the institutions to start accepting it so that people don't do trading on the outside, unless they are on the outside.

It would also be good work incentive for prisoners if they made this themselves, premined it, and paid them with it. That way people could earn money in jail that they can use outside, as long as they play by the rules.

Most jails in the US don't allow internet access to inmates other than through a pre paid e-mail only system. You would have to get around "prison should be as painful as possible" law and order crowd to get any kind of reform.

I admit that sometimes I think that criminals should be able to use the internet constricted and heavily restricted of course but to develop skills for when they leave the prison more along the lines of prison is a place for reform and opportunity than the hard line punishment group but I can understand both perspectives.

Hmm @ Jail
Do it in Sweden!

[lamia85]

Has anyone ever heard of Bitcoins being used in jail?

Someone could easily have someone create them a bunch of wallets with a sum of coins they have on the outside, then have someone send them the addresses and the amounts. Then trade those addresses. Or, some people have people that visit them all the time and will take care of business stuff for people, and someone could just keep a ledger then have visitation and tell the person on the outside where to send what coins, and who else to contact so that they could get their share paid.

People reading this are like "How can you trust the person to actually pay", well in jail the person usually pays or the person finds some other way to get paid back.

Eventually, there could even be a coin made for this, and eventually petitions could be made for the institutions to start accepting it so that people don't do trading on the outside, unless they are on the outside.

It would also be good work incentive for prisoners if they made this themselves, premined it, and paid them with it. That way people could earn money in jail that they can use outside, as long as they play by the rules.

You obviously have never been arrested and put in to pop, or live in a lahlah land country where you have human rights in jail.

[Bitcoin-hotep]

Has anyone ever heard of Bitcoins being used in jail?

Someone could easily have someone create them a bunch of wallets with a sum of coins they have on the outside, then have someone send them the addresses and the amounts. Then trade those addresses. Or, some people have people that visit them all the time and will take care of business stuff for people, and someone could just keep a ledger then have visitation and tell the person on the outside where to send what coins, and who else to contact so that they could get their share paid.

People reading this are like "How can you trust the person to actually pay", well in jail the person usually pays or the person finds some other way to get paid back.

Eventually, there could even be a coin made for this, and eventually petitions could be made for the institutions to start accepting it so that people don't do trading on the outside, unless they are on the outside.

It would also be good work incentive for prisoners if they made this themselves, premined it, and paid them with it. That way people could earn money in jail that they can use outside, as long as they play by the rules.

You obviously have never been arrested and put in to pop, or live in a lahlah land country where you have human rights in jail.

LOL
Are we now bragging about how many times we've been to jail? I feel no need to prove myself.

And, you aren't allowed to gamble in jail, but that doesn't stop anyone.

[Bitcoin-hotep]

Did everyone here forget about PAPER WALLETS?!??!?!?!?!?!?!!?!?!?!

Cold Storage!?!?!?!??!?!?!?!?!