New Players in Cold-Case Poker Game: N.Y. Prison Inmates
An innovative, card-playing approach to solving cold cases is now being tried in New York.
The state is following Florida’s lead and distributing free to prison inmates poker decks featuring photographs of victims of unsolved crimes, along with reward and tip-line information, reports Reuters. The idea, which was initially sparked by the U.S. effort to capture terrorism suspects in Iraq by featuring them on playing cards, has reportedly solved several cases in Florida as entertainment-starved inmates deal out the cards and talk with each other about the crimes they describe.
The Florida game can also be played by noncriminals: Decks of the cards are sold to the general public on the Internet by Effective Playing Cards & Promotions, the company that manufactures them. It apparently may also be providing the cards in New York: “New York, Texas, Missouri, Ohio, Iowa, California and Washington along with agencies in Canada are all working toward implementing our cards into their area,” the company states on its website.
Related coverage:
ABAJournal.com: “Fla. Deals Cold-Case Cards to Inmates”
New York Times: “Prison Poker”
